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Sandcastle Weekend organizers add dog show

New addition to annual Texada Island festival joins mainstays
dog show
SUPER HOOPER: Gillies Bay resident Theresa Beech and her golden retriever Barley test out an agility course for Texada Sandcastle Weekend’s newest event, an amateur dog show, set to take place on Saturday, July 22. Contributed photo

Organizers have added a new event to Texada’s Sandcastle Weekend this year. And if all goes well, everybody and their dog will be there.

“We’re having an amateur dog show,” said organizing committee chair Elayne Boloten.

Boloten credits Texada resident Roxanna Rasmussen for coming up with the idea.

“About 10 or 11 years ago I did a dog show at the farmer’s market and it was quite well received,” said Rasmussen. “All I remember is people laughed their heads off. We had such a good time.”

The latest revival will be held at 1 pm on Saturday, July 22, at Gillies Bay Ball Park.

“We’re going to have a costume portion, for owner and dog, and that’s going to be judged by the onlookers,” said Rasmussen. “After that will be a simple obedience trial: two dogs at a time, simply walking on heel, sitting and staying, while the owner walks away.”

The finale will put pooches through their paces with a simple agility course.

“That will be a lot of fun because we don’t expect any of the dogs to really do well at it, but we’ll get the owners running around the course with their dogs on a leash,” said Rasmussen.

Advanced signup is not required and entry can be made with an onsite contribution to BC SPCA Powell River and District Branch. Winners will be announced at the end of the competition, with prizes coming in the form of donated merchandise.

However, Rasmussen warned that any similarities to the Westminster Dog Show will begin and end with pinned-on contestant numbers for each of the handlers.

“I’m hoping people will come with the idea that it’s just a fun way to spend part of the afternoon and they’ll be good sports,” she said. “Obviously we’re not professional judges or anything.”

For 33 years, Sandcastle Weekend has played host to a quirky collection of events, designed to be fun and family-friendly. The lineup often changes from summer to summer, but attendees know to expect a full slate of entertainment no matter what.

“I have a bunch of really good volunteers who basically take their event and run with it,” said Boloten. “There’s something for everyone all the time.”

As always, the weekend begins on Saturday with a parade at 11 am, which runs a route from Gillies Bay Ball Park to the RCMP station.

“Then there’s going to be bed races, bingo, a whole whack of vendors and the dog show during the day,” said Boloten.

In the evening, Shelter Point Regional Park plays host to a lip-sync contest, moon-bag ceremony and laser-light show.

Sunday’s festivities kickoff with a pancake breakfast, followed by a sand-sculpting competition.

“That’s the nice thing about it being a small island,” said Rasmussen. “We can be more creative and we don’t have as many restrictions. We can just set out to have a good time and hopefully leave with a few good memories for next year.”

Texada Sandcastle Weekend takes place Saturday, July 22, and Sunday, July 23, featuring dozens of events throughout Texada Island. For more information, visit texada.org.