Dozens of pure-bred, AKC-registered canines prance in front of a full arena and national TV audience in the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show each year, but a dog show on Saturday morning in Hiller Park will showcase the regular guy’s answer to man’s best friend.
Fido, Spot and Rebel, get ready for your close up.
“This is specifically opposite of the Westminster Kennel Club,” organizer John Fitzhugh says of “Mutts for Peace,” a fundraiser for the Children’s International Summer Village program. “That means they don’t allow mutts, and that’s all we allow.”
Fitzhugh, a Sun Herald photographer who with wife Sharon has two daughters involved in the CISV program, says a morning of fun is planned, with a 9:30 “almost one-mile fun run” (registration begins at 8), followed by a cutest dog contest, an ugliest dog contest, a costume contest, an agility course and a talent show.
The events are open to dogs (and people) of all ages, shapes and sizes. Dogs, however, need to have had their shots and be wearing a collar with a tag to show proof of vaccination. Collars are optional for dog owners and spectators, but all dogs must remain on leashes.
This inaugural mutt show is the brainchild of Fitzhugh’s 10-year-old daughter, Emily, who’s seen dog shows the Coast Coliseum: “She said we should have a dog show for mutts,” said Fitzhugh, whose family has two.
No word on how many mutts will show up. “I’m printing 100 entry forms,” Fitzhugh said, “and I’ll be tickled pink if we run out.”
Food and drink will be available for purchase for those who visit Mutts for Peace, and a raffle will be conducted with a special prize, which, Fitzhugh says, is mostly alcoholic.
The affair is scheduled to wrap up at 2 p.m. with an awards presentation.
See a flyer for Mutts for Peace
See the weekend lineup
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Sidewalk will link major hubs on C.T. Switzer
Construction begins next week on a 10-foot wide, 3,000-foot long sidewalk that will link Edgewater Mall, Walmart and hundreds of nearby apartments on the south side of C.T. Switzer Drive
The new walkway, which also connects CTA bus stops along Switzer Drive, will stretch from Eisenhower Drive to DeBuys Road and is being built with $360,000 in federal, state and local funds.
The work is expected to be completed in July.
See updates on other roadwork
News and notes
Podcasting: Among the topics in this week’s City Desk are the new slip rates at the Biloxi Small Craft Harbor and Point Cadet Marina, the new staffing levels at the Biloxi Fire Department, and the city’s new economic development incentives, which are part of a new 100-room Hilton Garden Inn set to be under construction in August. To listen to the program, click here.
City Council meeting: The Biloxi City Council meets Tuesday afternoon at 1:30. To see the agenda for the meeting, along with supporting documents, click here.
Public meetings: Interested in attending a public meeting involving your municipal government? Want to know how you can have input? To see the list of regularly scheduled Biloxi municipal public meetings, click here.