Sarge’s to host pet photo contest
Sarge’s Animal Rescue Foundation will sponsor a pet photography contest and will be accepting photographs until Friday, Feb. 2 to raise money for a place to put the new no-kill animal adoption center for animals rescued from the Haywood County Animal Shelter.
Sarge’s has completed several fundraisers for their long-term goal of completing a no-kill animal shelter since their project started in 2005.
The downtown dog walk and the variety show benefit and silent auction, along with smaller events, has brought their current total to approximately $65,000, said Cynthia Morris, publicity volunteer.
“Considering the price of an eight to 10-acre parcel of land and the cost of building a shelter, we are several hundred thousand dollars away from beginning the building process,” Morris said.
In 2006, 300 animals were rescued from the animal shelter, said Rosa Allomong, Foster Home Committee chairperson Though this may seem like a lot, more than 2,200 animals were euthanized.
Categories for the pet photography contest include cats, kittens, dogs, puppies and other pets, as well as a category for children under the age of 12 and Sarge’s foster pets alumni. Themes for the photos could include Valentine’s Day, meal time, play time, nap time, silly pet or any other creative theme. Any number of photographs may be entered, but each entry must be accompanied by an entry form and a $10 entry fee. Entry forms may be found at www.sargeandfriends.org; at The Dog House, 304 N. Haywood Street in Waynesville or at the WNC visitor’s center.
Prizes will be awarded for first place winners in each category based on composition, originality and overall quality. Judges include Michael Rich, owner of Seatofmypants Productions; Jennifer Uhl-Ford, a published photojournalist and volunteer photographer for the rescue shelter; and Leonard Lollis, owner of Ball and Chain Photography Studio and Gallery in Maggie Valley.
Submissions may be mailed to SARF, P.O. Box 854, Waynesville, NC 28786. Photos will not be returned.
The awards ceremony will be at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 10 at the WNC visitor’s center, 262 Depot Street in Waynesville.
“We are thrilled to have the awards ceremony here. We think it will be a fun way for children and adults to show off their pets,” said JoLynn Bryant at the WNC visitor’s center, who said all the photos will be displayed during the awards ceremony and during the following week.
Winning entries may be used for promotional materials or fundraising items such as note cards, calendars, posters and their website. The waiver granting Sarge these rights must be signed on the entry form.
Other fundraisers for this year include a golf tournament on April 12 at Laurel Ridge Country Club, the second annual downtown dog walk in August and the 2007 variety show benefit & silent auction on October 27.
For more information, call Sarge’s at 508-3300 or The Dog House at 452-9573.
