Hi Folks -
Putting on a national specialty takes a village. There are many things that need to be done at the Specialty itself, as well as other tasks that need to be accomplished ahead of time.
Here are some of the things we need help with:
1) Freebies for the Welcome Bag. Does your workplace have free stuff that it gives out to the public? Can you procure 125 to 150 items for stuffing in our welcome bags? (Traditionally, everyone who comes to the Specialty gets a welcome bag with goodies both doggie and human.) Do you know any business owners who would be willing to donate? Anyone have special connections with pet stores in the Portland area?
2) Speaking of welcome bags, does anyone have a connection an inexpensive source for the bags themselves that we can print our logo on? In past years they have ranged from backpacks to canvas bags to other tote-type bags.
3) Does anyone have the ability to (or access to someone who does) to cut small (12" or less) Briard silhouettes from a piece of plywood? This would be for a fundraiser -- we would send out the silhouettes to artistic club members for decoration and then sell the decorated Briards in a silent auction. They did this a few years ago and the range of decorations that people used was amazing. But in order to do this, we need to find someone to make the silhouettes (we can provide the template)
4) Fundraising generally -- we need help. If you have a great idea for a fundraiser, share it now! And if you see a fundraiser announced, please support it!
5) Welcome table and staffing -- at every specialty there is a welcome table where people can get their Welcome bags, check out the schedules, sign up for events, etc. It needs organizing and staffing.
6) Groundskeeping -- if you want to earn extra cosmic brownie points, and have some time -- or maybe some energetic teenagers -- we need to have someone in charge of poop patrol. I promise this will not be a thankless job. Making sure that poop bags, scoops, and buckets are placed throughout the grounds is critical.
7) Hospitality Suite -- we need a volunteer to organize the hospitality suite, At the Holiday Inn it will be a suite on an upper floor of the hotel.
8) A tourist excursion -- is there anything fun to do in Portland (like a river tour or Multnomah falls or the Rose Garden) that could be planned for anyone interested on Monday or Tuesday evening? We would not be subsidizing this, but it might be fun if it were made available to out-of-town attendees (without their dogs). Can someone research prices and options?
There's lots of other stuff to be done too, so if you don't see something you are interested in or have time to do right now, please let me, Carol Wolfram, or Gabrielle LaRoche know. We can use your help!
Thanks all. Give your puppies an extra cookie tonight from me.
Tracy Thorleifson, 2016 Specialty Co-Chair