BERLIN – Pooch Palooza will return to Worcester County this weekend for a two-day event that caters to canines.
Now entering their third festival, Delmarva Unleashed Producer Sandy Phillips said the publication’s event continues to add games and competitions as Pooch Palooza grows.
The event will take place on the grounds of Frontier Town, between the waterpark and western theme park.
There, dogs will have the opportunity to join other canines for pie eating and costume contests, agility exploration, a Delmarva DockDogs competition, the FastFetch Cup, lure coursing and a Delmarva Unleashed cover model search.
Photo booths, K-9 demonstrations, arcade-style canine games and the like will also be available for dogs.
“Our goal is to bring in as many canine sports in one place,” Phillips said.
This year, Phillips said dogs will also have the chance to win prizes through a tennis ball lottery, in which a helicopter will drop numbered tennis balls over a secure area for canines to retrieve. The numbers will correspond to potential prizes.
Phillips explained that last year’s festival attracted nearly 700 dogs, but added that event organizers expect 5,000 to 6,000 people will show this year.
“We are scheduled to be a bigger event,” she said.
Phillips said Pooch Palooza continues to grow with each passing year, and added that event organizers are continually asked about expanding the event and its respective competitions.
For this reason, organizers have entered a contract to bring fly ball and a national disc qualifier to Pooch Palooza in 2018.
“It will be even bigger and better next year,” she said.
Phillips explained that the magazine’s growing presence inspired the publication to create Puppy Palooza in 2014.
“We wanted to find a different way to reach our customers,” she said.
In an effort to reflect the magazine’s focus on dogs, Phillips explained that the festival takes on a dog’s perspective.
“You can expect to take your dog and find things your dog can do,” she said.
The festival is open to all dog breeds, but event organizers require canines to be leashed, except when competing on a competition course.
Pooch Palooza will take place April 22-23 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. Tickets are $5 for humans and $2 for dogs. Children under the age of 10 are admitted for free.
“We’ve done our homework,” Phillips said. “We can’t find anything like it, period.”
Pooch Palooza is produced by Delmarva Unleashed, a dog magazine that reaches an audience of 250,000 dog owners.
For more information on the event, contact Phillips at 410-726-7334 or email [email protected].
