Hello all!
Next April may seem so far away, but it's only six months until the 2025 National Specialty at the Roberts Centre in Wilmington, Ohio! It's not too early to start making plans!
Our room block is open! Please make your room reservations at the Holiday Inn Roberts Centre at 800-654-7036. Our rate is $136 per night plus tax. You can also go online to make your reservation at Chow Chow Club National Booking Link. Make sure to adjust the dates and number of people per room before clicking the search button.
Kathy Sheehan is the RV Coordinator. She has the form you need for RV reservations. Please contact her at sheehan.ck@gmail.com to obtain the form. You can make your RV reservations with the Roberts Centre by contacting Kirsty Woods at kwoods@columbushospitality.com or by calling 937-283-3232.
And now for an announcement I know many of you were waiting for – WE ARE RUNNING FastCAT TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29 & 30, 2025. Set up will be on Monday, April 28th. WE WILL NEED HELP. It will be All-Breed but Chows will be given priority and we will also have special prizes for Chows. "Fun Runs" will be offered as time allows in addition to two trials per day. We need at least two club members on hand at all times plus people to help set up on Monday. We have Speeddog Coursing coming in to run the Trials. They will act as Superintendent and take care of registration, reporting to AKC, etc. We just need to provide the people they need to help. Linda Wilkinson is the Chairperson so please reach out to her at linda.wilkinson00@gmail.com if you can help or have questions. We'll have more detailed information later on, but at this time AKC has approved us to offer FastCAT with the National Specialty.
We are bringing back the Regional Basket competition. We invite clubs and individuals to create a basket with items your region is known for – it might be Pop Tarts from Michigan or wine from Napa Valley. Use your imagination to come up with a basket that you know others would love to have. We will have a raffle contest with them – the one with the most tickets wins!
We are also asking for sponsors for breakfasts each morning as well as lunch on at least Wednesday and Thursday. We know everyone looks forward to not just the food but the comradery that comes from sitting down and sharing stories and advice as we have meals together in the informal setting.
We have great trophies and rosettes planned and need your help to cover costs. In addition to the larger trophies like Best of Breed, High in Trial, Best in Sweeps, and Best Beginner Puppy we also have a lot of classes to cover. You can cover first-fourth in Obedience, Rally, Sweeps or Breed for $75. $25 will cover first place in a class that typically has a smaller entry like Novice or American-Bred. Can't make up your mind? No problem! You can donate any amount to the General Trophy Fund. No amount is too small or too large. Please contact Vickie Ireland at vireland@sunlink.net . All trophy donations may be made in memory of or honor of a beloved dog.
Vickie is also our fundraising chair. If you are interested in being a 2025 National Specialty Sponsor, please contact her. We offer levels for every budget from Bronze at to Titanium. These sponsorships come with their own perks and help cover costs not covered in other areas. We have a special gift for our Platinum ($500) and Titanium ($1000) sponsors – an insulated personalized tumbler with the 2025 logo. The tumbler is sent out after receipt of payment of your sponsorship. So please reach out to Vickie at vireland@sunlink.net for more information.
Janie Pohlman is our Hospitality Chair and she has some great ideas for this year! But once again, we will need your help to pull it off. Donations of any amount are gratefully accepted towards the hospitality bags.
New this year is our Tiny Hat contest. We are planning for this to be held in conjunction with the Parade of Titleholders and the Welcome Party. All proceeds will be split between the Junior Handlers Fund and the Welfare Fund. There will be divisions for Individuals (people or dogs), Couples (human/dog, dog/dog or human/human) and groups (any combination). There will be prizes! We hope you will join us for this fun fundraiser. Entries will be taken on site.
Thinking about the Parade of Titleholders? Don't forget to check deadlines as this has an earlier deadline that almost anything else. This is due to the extra time it takes to have the custom personalized rosettes created that are given to each participant. Kathy Sheehan is the Parade of Titleholders Chair for 2025.
Another thing to think about is the auction! It's never too soon to start looking for things to contribute. Use it as an opportunity to declutter or give a duplicate a new home. Have that ugly set of Foo Dogs that you don't know why you bought? Well this is the perfect opportunity for it to go to good use. After all, someone's ugly duckling is another person's beautiful swan.
And don't forget we have logowear! We have polo shirts, t-shirts, long-sleeved t-shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies, full zip hoodies and fleece jackets in a variety of colors. You will find the order form at 2025 National Logowear (chowclub.org).
Have a friend that's a club member that you don't know what to give for Christmas or their birthday, or just because? We have Gift Certificates! They are available in denominations of $10, $20, $25, $50 and $100. There is more information on how to obtain at Gift Certificates (chowclub.org) . They can be used on anything purchased from the club including membership, banquet tickets, raffle tickets, logowear, etc. They are the perfect gift when you don't know what to give.
All monetary donations towards the 2025 Flying High in Ohio Chow Chow Club Inc National Specialty as well as payments for gift certificate or logowear purchases should be sent to the Treasurer, Debbie Hockaday. You can either mail a check or pay with PayPal. Please make sure to include what you are paying for. If you use PayPal, please consider adding the 3% that the club is charged in fees. They do not allow us to use Friends and Family anymore, even though we are not-for-profit, so the CCCI loses a little on every transaction. The PayPal address is treasurer@chowclub.org.
To mail your check made out to the CCCI, please address it to:
Debbie Hockaday, Treasurer
11059 Carriage Rd
Providence Forge, VA 23140
The names of everyone who contribute to the General Trophy fund, paid for a specific trophy or class or paid for a sponsorship by the end of 2024 will be included in the Premium List.
We are so excited about our 2025 National Specialty Show. We hope you are too. And your contributions will help make it special event that you will remember for years to come.
Thank you,
Cathy Clapp, Show Chair
2025 National Specialty Show
flamingstarchows@gmail.com
