Downtown Marshall NCThe Creative Life on the River

Dog Daze was a RESOUNDING SUCCESS!!  Everyone that I have talked to that night and since then has said how much fun they had and how well it went. 

KUDOS to the committee for all their hard work.  The primary members were:  Diane Van Helden, Lois Simbach, Danni Iosello, Randi Howell, and Virginia Schmidt.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!!

Also, a huge thanks to the maker’s of dog beds for the silent auction!  (Bucky Parker wins the prize for being the first to turn his in, Tim Hurley, Mike Stevenson, Richard McCracken, Lois Simbach, Lee Walker and yours truly spent many hours making a wide variety of beds).  The proceeds from the auction brought roughly $850 to Friends (yay!) and the flea boutique brought in another $150, so it was a nice, $1,000 fundraiser for the local non-profit.

Marshall Family Pharmacy really got into the Dog Daze event!

Pictures:  Several people took pictures at the event - as good ones come in, I’ll get them uploaded here as well.  I had my camera with me, but didn’t get too many pictures as I was busy handing out 25 prizes for the various winners and 60 bandanas for all dogs that were entered into a contest.  Debbie from Marshall Family Pharmacy had one dog dressed as a hot dog (not a daschund) and another as a hamburger. 

Banjo Austin seemed very non-chalant about winning the floppiest ears contest!

Dog Contest prizes were provided by Mountain Tails Pet Supplies, Weaverville Pet Pantry, TJ’s Mountain Market, Fiddlestix, Ponder Cove B&B and Madison Dry Cleaners. 

I don't think he'll forgive me for this!!

I’m not sure if Joe Penland knew what he was getting into when he agreed to serve as the emcee for the dog contests but he certainly did a great job!!

 There were a lot of people with dogs all sitting in a nice semi-circle with the dog contests area in the middle (might be nice when we get the stage, eh?).  Anyway, my husband (Rick) always gets the “fun jobs” like when I handed him the camera and asked that he go up to the second floor to get a picture to show the crowd of people (sorry about thos trees in the way!).

Several people participated in the “paint your own pottery” opportunity.  The raw bisque pieces were brought up to Marshall from Fired Up! of Asheville.  Emily Reason glazed and fired the pieces and they can be seen and/or picked up at Zuma (I loved the bobble-head dog one!)

Pooch parade pictures – - need to find some!  Marshall Family Pharmacy decorated their truck and led the parade with Mayor Lawrence Ponder following with a FABULOUS wolf hat on (I saw him the next day and I think he was still wearing it!!)

Looking for a special dog bed?  Come to Downtown Marshall!

Special to the News Record & Sentinel

In conjunction with the upcoming Dog Daze French Broad Friday on August 13^th, several local artists have created one-of-a-kind dog beds that will be auctioned off as a fund raiser for Friends of Madison County Animals (FOMCA).  FOMCA is headquarted in historic downtown Marshall, and works to reduce the number of unwanted animals in Madison County and increase their well-being.  Programs include a spay-neuter program, vaccination clinics, feral cat trap/neuter/return, an outreach center, educational programs and a pet pantry.

Dog Daze is the third in the 2010 series of “French Broad Friday” events in downtown Marshall.  (See prior post for the Program of Events).

Several of the dog beds were made by local woodworkers using locally harvested, recycled, reclaimed and repurposed materials.  Lois Simbach created a half dozen bed cushions – some are paired with the wooden beds and others will be auctioned off on their own.  Some of the beds are for big dogs and others are more suitable for medium or small dogs.  The unique beds are on display at the following businesses in downtown Marshall:  Ain’t That Cuticle, Bacchus Bistro, Bowman Hardware, Flow, Good Stuff, Lapland Bookshop & Art, Madison County Courthouse, Penland’s Department Store and Zuma, with more to come.

The fund raiser is a silent auction that opened last week.  Bids are accepted any time until the auction closes at 8:00pm on Friday, August 13^th when the highest bidder will win the bed.  Artists donated their work to the event and all proceeds from the auction benefit Friends of Madison County Animals.