Old Westbury Gardens - Site of Westbury Kennel Association's first major show in 1923
The Diversity of Dogs & Candid Canidae
HOSPITALITY
2023 TROPHIES
RAFFLE BASKETS
WESTBURY CLASSICS
Our Show Photo Essay starts with Hospitality. Without good food in a delightful setting, our volunteers, judges, stewards, and other officials, stay in neutral all day!! Special thanks go to our Show Chair, Pete for his generous donation of the large hero sandwiches, and a variety of wines for several of the Raffle Baskets. Fern, our seasoned (pun intended) Hospitality Chair, with moral support from her dog Cookie (no pun intended) did a phenomenal job of coordinating everything. Fern tells it best:
Hospitality as a craft dates back hundreds of years and is a multi-cultural phenomenon. Hospitality responsibilities at the Dog Shows are numerous. It is not just greeting people and shaking hands! Before everyone arrives, I need to dress the Hospitality tent with tables, chairs, and tablecloths, along with plates, napkins, and utensils. Other early bird volunteers are busy with raffle tables, trophy preps, and other pre-show details. If they need a fast break, they stop by so at the least a quick coffee needs to be ready. Once the tables, chairs, and decorations are in place, I set up food for breakfast and lunch. If I can grab another volunteer to assist that is great but for the most part is is a real DIY job. Success is based on planning. The Hospitality tent is not open to the public, but I must make sure all judges and stewards have coffee or tea available to them. During the day, food must be kept secure and well presented. A messy presentation wouldn't meet Westbury's high standards.
Next on the to-do list before showtime is the RINGS! I must check and make sure that all rings have water, soda, tissues, paper towels, pens. Yes, PENS as somebody always forgets one, or one gets "borrowed" and they occasionally run dry! I make sure throughout the day that all the judges and stewards have enough to eat and drink, and if they can’t get to the Hospitality Tent directly, I must bring them something.
Dog shows are pretty much non-stop events, but I always find a few minutes for myself to have a quick bite and play with Cookie. At long last after a 10-12+ hour day on site and the shows are over, somebody has to clean up, make sure the trash is bagged, and all that. That's how I close out Hospitality for the day and year; tent and tables are clean, chairs are stacked except for one, on which I finally sit down, hold Cookie and say, job well done! I look forward to seeing everyone next year.
Fern Burt, Westbury Hospitality
It's what's happening baby...* Dog Shows, like other major events, have a beginning, a middle, and an end. Scroll down for a glimpse into what went on with Westbury before, during, and after. On show day the process began before sunrise. Thankfully we were spared the previous day's deluge, but the grounds were still a little soggy. No matter, we forged ahead, setting up our displays and more! The "early bird" club members had plenty to do.
Except for Mother Nature, the Weekend Cluster was a cooperative effort. Set-up day [October 28th] was done by members of all four Clubs with a helpful dog or two. Our photos were taken from set-up Thursday thru closing Sunday. Except for first and last, the photos are in no particular order. Enjoy our show pictures as we share the good times.
* To learn more about this expression, see Legal Beagle
Big Apple
Working Group. Sporting Group,
Suffolk County Kennel Club, and Westbury shared the
Smithtown
Historic Farm
for the entire weekend.
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This was one breakfast Westbury Hospitality did not need to prepare!
VP Lynn rewards
Phoenix and Apollo for NEVER touching raffle baskets that waited in their home for weeks
before show day.
Talk about best of breed; the twins were very tolerant of all the pre-show activities at home.
Set up day with a bit of curious canine "help"
for Tracey, while Rick
tunes up for live
Opening Ceremonies.
Baskets were moved
out in better view when the weather cleared.
Tickets sold well.
All the baskets
found new homes.
GETTING DOWN TO BUSINESS
Sellers sell
Groomers groom
Handlers handle
Judges judge
Dogs do their best
Audience shows its appreciation
Trophies await the many winners
There will be only one BIS
in each show
BUT WHO?
E PLURIBUS CANIBUS UNUM
After hundreds of wonderful
well-behaved dogs did their ring thing,
out of the final SEVEN - just ONE!
TWICE!!
Westbury congratulates
GCHG Sweet O’Grady Destined To Be
Best In Show - BOTH Shows
THAT'S A WRAP FOR 2023
Melissa and Rick
help us pack the last of the gear.
NOW FOR SOME CLOSING LINGUISTIC FUN --- WE KNOW WHAT YOU WERE THINKING WITH THE WINNER'S CAPTION IN LATIN.
Canibus (dog) and Cannabis (the other stuff) do sound much the same, but they are exceptionally different! However, BOTH can be addictive!!
