Full circle
People don’t only shop at our market, quite often they jump in to be part of it all. They may volunteer as a Working Friend, hang a market poster in the break room at work, or offer a demonstration to share what they know. Laurel Rabschutz is a good example. She and her Portuguese Water Dog pup, Iggy, above, love coming to the market. (Iggy REALLY loves Paws 4 Treats ice cream.) But, Iggy and Laurel also belong to the Top Hat and Tails freestyle dog dance troupe that will perform for us Sunday. On this day, they’ll go from customers to performers, donating their time to make our 5th annual “Dog Days at the Market” event fabulous. That’s really good stuff!
This is one of our biggest events and all well-behaved dogs (polite leash walking required, no barking, please!) are welcome. We’ve invited many dog philanthropy groups to join us and we’re not just offering them space, we’re sending them home with donations! See how you can clean out your closets for a good cause, too! You'll find a bowl of cool water waiting for your pal at the Market Masters' Table and complimentary treat bag from Marty’s Canine Club, while they last!
Here's what we have planned:
10:00 Before the market opens, join us for an off-leash hike through the shady trails of the Nathan Hale Forest. Register via Meetup Group MDOG Hikes! Dogs can splash around afterward, and throughout the day, in our cool pup pool.
11:00-11:30 The Top Hat and Tails Dance Troupe, members of the World Canine Freestyle Organization, celebrates the joys of pet ownership with a canine musical freestyle exhibition. This creative blend of traditional obedience, Frisbee tricks, and 'dance' movements is choreographed and performed to music.
11:30-12:00 The Hartford Area Obedience Club presents a Rally Demonstration. The HOTC has been providing training classes for competition and companion dogs since 1937, making it the oldest training club in the country. They will be demonstrating Rally Obedience, a sport in which the dog and handler proceed through a course of designated stations each requiring an obedience skill to be performed. After their performance, you and your dog can try out the course!
12:30 Join us for a Blessing of the Dogs on the front steps of the Hale House.
All day~
Laura Stone Photography, and DDrobney Photography are offering dog portrait sessions for a suggested donation of just $5! (Sneak Peek) Dot has done photoshoots for the Tophat and Tails Canine Freestyle troupe, as well as shooting 2Dogs2000Miles gatherings. Laura has been a baby portrait photographer in a busy retail store, an experience that lends itself to working, now, with wiggly pups! Donations will go to Tails of Joy's R.E.A.D. program whose reading assistance dogs help struggling readers gain confidence. Email us to reserve a time slot.
Agility Demonstration: human “handlers” navigate their dogs through tunnels, over ramps and through weave polls, requiring skill and good communication from both of them. David Carr and friends will play agility with their dogs, invite experienced handlers/dogs to run the course, and help inexperienced people teach their dog to perform a simple obstacle. Dave also builds and sells agility equipment!
Visit our DOG TOY SWAP at the Friends’ tent. Our dogs go crazy for toys and nearly-new toys are just as popular! It's a great opportunity to sort through your pal's toybox to find a few toys in good condition that have fallen out of favor. Clean them up and bring them down to the market for the TOY SWAP BIN. Your dog can pick out a toy to take home!
Microchipping will be offered by Dog Days event sponsor All Creatures Veterinary Hospital for $40 with a $5 discount available to the Friends of the Market. If your pet is microchipped, there is a much greater chance that they will return to you safely if they are ever lost. All Creatures Veterinary Hospital, the official vet of Jonathan XIII, the UConn husky, is the only small animal hospital in Coventry, treating dogs and cats and offering nail trims for guinea pigs and bunnies.
AKC Canine Good Citizen Testing will be conducted by Dog Days event sponsor Both Ends of the Leash, llc at a special event price of $10. Sarah Althen, CPDT-KA, provides in-home and on location behavioral consulting and training throughout central CT, utilizing scientific, positive based training methods.
Free nail clippings, for dogs that are willing to be handled and free doggie bandannas will be offered by Dog Days event sponsor The Daniel Rust House Bed & Breakfast. This pre-revolutionary, center built chimney homestead is furnished in period antiques, has working fireplaces, and welcomes well-behaved canine guests as well. As a guest, their beautifully landscaped 2 acres are yours to use, as well as a large fenced in area for those pups not yet off leash trained! Pick up a special coupon for a stay at the B&B while they last.
Fido's Fiber does custom spinning of dog fur to make an everlasting keepsake of your dog. Roberta Collins will give a spinning demonstration using various types of dog fur. Anyone who has a long haired dog and has fiber from brushing them can bring it with them for a consult of spinning the fiber, or if anyone has dog fiber they would like to donate, Roberta would be happy to accept it. (Fur should be at least 1" in length - brushed out fur is best).
Special Dog Days service group guests include:
Guiding Eyes for the Blind, an internationally accredited, nonprofit guide dog school with a 50-plus year legacy of providing the blind and visually impaired with superior Guiding Eyes dogs, training, and lifetime support services. Meet their pups and learn how you can become a GEB puppy raiser.
Manchester Dog Owners Group, a non-profit advocating and educating the community about responsible dog ownership and supporting community canine recreational programs and activities. Currently, MDOG is collecting monetary donations for the creation of an off-leash dog park in Manchester.
Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation, dedicated to breeding, raising and placing the highest quality German Shepherd guide dogs to increase the mobility and independence of people who are blind. Meet their foster puppies!
Sadie Mae Foundation Animal Rescue League Inc, a 501c3, all-volunteer animal rescue group dedicated to rescuing animals from local shelters when they have run out of time and are in danger of euthanasia. They will be showcasing adoptable dogs and have applications for their Low Cost Spay Neuter Program.
Echo Dogs White Shepherd Rescue, an all volunteer foster home based organization with a mission is to place homeless dogs into loving and permanent homes, to educate the public about the breed, promote responsible pet care, and to provide ongoing training support and advice to adopters after dogs have been placed in their new homes.
Tails of Joy, Inc., a volunteer group of registered Pet Therapy Teams who bring smiles to patients in hospitals, nursing homes, rehab centers, and runs R.E.A.D. (Reading Education Assistance Dogs) events in schools and libraries all over the state. Bring your children to R.E.A.D. to one of their dogs!
We Adopt Greyhounds Inc., an all-volunteer group dedicated to finding permanent, suitable homes for retired racing greyhounds once their racing career has ended.
CT Humane Society has found forever homes for animals for over 125 years!
Visit them to see pictures and get information on the wonderful animals up for adoption at their Waterford shelter.
In the market~
Pick up a market logo bumper sticker or window decal, specially priced at $1 each at the Friends’ Tent, the proceeds from all of Sunday’s sales go to Guiding Eyes for the Blind.
Check out New Boston Beef’s marrow bones! Bones are nature's storehouse of iron and other minerals, vitamins, protein, and essential fatty acids and also provide natural antioxidant and anti-ageing factors. Jonathan also has beef liver for dehydrating to make world-class dog treats and for you…STEAKS for the grill!
Hurricane Farm will have smoked pigs ears, pork liver and hearts your dog will love, and a variety of heirloom tomatoes, purple string beans and zucchini!
Keifer’s Kettle Korn is popping Doghead’s Ale Spicy Korn and donating 10% of lemonade sales to The Queenie Foundation.
Rich Valley Farm offers a deet-free flying insect repellant for DOGS as well as HUMANS. It works really well on goats, too.
La Petite France is donating 10% of the day’s sales to the Sadie Mae foundation.
Wayne’s Organic Garden will have fingerling potatoes this week. In memory of Wayne and Marilyn’s dog Penny, they will donate a dollar for each penny we take in, up to twenty-five.
Skyspyders Pottery is making dog treat plates available for a $5 suggested donation to Echo Dogs White Shepherd Rescue.
Turtle Creek Farm will have a hand-knit dog coat, and will take orders for other sizes, and slip-line dog leashes, for a $10 donation to Fidelco. Regina has new hand knitted baby sweaters and is offering 10% off any natural color yarn.
Healthy Cleaning Solutions has animal friendly soap in citrus and lavender scents and natural carpet deodorizer, just in case…
Crocker Farm will have tomatoes, bell peppers and Asian eggplant and be making a donation to Guiding Eyes for the Blind.
Fabyan Sugar Shack is donating $25 to the canine cause and bringing fancy glass bottles filled with syrup.
Shayna B's a gluten free bakery, will be donating a portion of this weeks sales to her local Ashford animal rescue. Christine is baking wheat free, gluten free, and soy free local apple spice cakes and blueberry pies.
Meriano’s Bake Shoppe’s PUPcakes will be a big hit: decorated cupcakes for people to honor our furry friends. A portion of the proceeds will go to Guiding Eyes for the Blind.
Kenny Maclure makes custom pens and desk accessories; he’ll be donating a portion of sales to Fidelco.
Summer Hill Catering returns to the market with new Chocolate Fudge Tarts and Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie Pies! $1.00 from the sale of each of these pies will be donated to Tails of Joy. They also will have our chicken pot pies and vegetable pot pies plus dessert pies in blueberry, peach-berry, strawberry rhubarb, and apple. Blueberry pies will be available in a large size as well as the small size!
Paws 4 Treats will be donating a portion of the day’s sales to the Sadie Mae Foundation in honor of their help with Laura’s recently adopted dog Oakley. Laura will have a fabulous variety of all-natural cakes, cookies in various shapes and collections, and (Iggy’s favorite) ice cream for dogs!
Bethany Homecrafts will have wonderful, reasonably-priced cushions made from recycled sweaters stuffed with woolen bits. Great as floor cushions for people or cozy pet beds, MaryLynne will also be raffling off a beautiful, large-sized one. Stop by her booth to take a chance, the drawing will be done at 1:30. Proceeds from the sale of the pet beds and the drawing will be donated to Fidelco.
Bear Pond Farm will donate 10% of Sunday’s sales to the Manchester Dog Owners Group. Back in the early days, Craig would bring his Bernese Mountain Dogs to farmers’ markets. First was Gus, then Babe. Babe had a fan club among the kids, and some grown-ups too: James Taylor would bring him cookies at the Litchfield market. A third Berner just joined their household: Bear Pond Farm’s Little Bear—11 weeks old.
Farm to Hearth is planning a flatbread with Maggie’s Farm purple haze carrots and Four Fields Farm cosmic purple carrots, fresh dill flowers and Beltane Farm fresh chevre; and a second with wood roasted Four Fields Farm heirloom onions, cinnamon basil, applewood smoked nitrate free bacon and a drizzle of Fabayan Sugar Shack's Grade B maple syrup. Todd’s hand-kneaded, naturally-leavened dough is now made with freshly milled COVENTRY-grown Hard Red Winter Wheat. Hear more about it on WTIC 1080 next Thursday morning!
Topmost Herb Farm returns with fall blooming perennials and grasses, perennial herbs, fresh bunches of herb and garlic for infusing olive oil, fresh cured garlic, fresh cut basil, Topmost Tea and lavender spritzers.
Roots of Development supports sustainable community-driven initiatives to support those with the basic needs we all deserve.
Christine's Country Kitchen will have pickled beets and Splenda pickled beets.
Chiveflower Designs has new beautiful necklace and earring designs, including natural gemstones such as Labradorite and Garnet. There will be special displays of natural earrings made from Wisteria Seeds and Pussywillows as well as Geode, Nut, and Gemstone Barrettes.
The Delamatta’s have new jams: Apricot-Pineapple, and Cherry Pie Jam.
Windham Gardens will have flowers, corn, peppers- hot, frying and bell, eggplant- Thai, fairytale, and regular, tomatoes, heirloom and slicing, pickles, cucumbers, squash, leeks and onions!
Easy Pickin’s Farm will have peppers, eggplants, tomatoes and maybe even some okra. Blueberries are still in good supply. They might have ever-bearing Strawberries available for a lucky few!
Four Fields Farm will be bringing beautiful bunches of cinnamon basil. This warm variety actually contains the same chemical, cinnamate, that gives cinnamon its flavor. Stop by the stand to smell and chat with Shannon about how to use it in soups, sauces, and salads. Back this week is baby fennel, peppery salad mix, carrots, beets, cucumbers, heirloom summer squashes, and their first hot peppers of the season!
The Morning Glory Homemade family is a big fan of the mutts of the world, the dogs whose character traits come from a varied line, often resulting in a fabulous disposition and one-of-a-kind appearance. They celebrate the canine mutt with the equivalent mutt from the baking world~ a Hermit cookie: assorted bakery goodies with added raisins, molasses, and spices. Like the lovable mutt, no two Hermit batches are ever quite the same, but they're always a delightful surprise. $1 from each 3-pk of Hermit cookies will be donated to the Sadie Mae Animal Rescue League. New this week: blucchini (blueberry zucchini) muffins and white chocolate macadamia nut cookies. Green smoothie flavors this week are Strawberry Sunrise and Carrot Cake.
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