Barkfest is Coming!  Calling All Weiner Dogs!

Big Bend Barkfest, Inc. is a new non-profit organization formed in Wakulla County during the summer of 2009 by a committed group of dedicated animal lovers.  The corporation has also proudly become a new member of the Wakulla County Chamber of Commerce.  The new organization will focus on enhancing the health of homeless dogs to strengthen their chances of being placed in permanent, loving homes.  The positive impact on surrounding communities in our region will be a giant step forward for these homeless dogs who so desperately need healthcare; without it, they risk being the “throw-away” dogs of our society. 

The first annual Big Bend Barkfest is a festival for dogs, by dogs, to be held at the Wakulla High School grounds March 6th, 2010.  This is a huge endeavor for us, and we have worked for many months to bring this festival to life.  We graciously welcome volunteers, sponsors, donations, vendors, formerly homeless dogs to walk in the opening parade, entries for our costume contest, and of course your wiener dog!

The festival brings together people and dogs, both young and old, to celebrate the incredible joy of the human-canine bond.  Barkfest will kick off with a parade of formerly homeless dogs and their now-permanent owners.  Lots of activities are planned to fill the day with fun and laughter.  In addition to numerous exhibitors, food, and arts and crafts vendors, there will be demonstrations by retrieving dogs, search and rescue dogs, and others.  There will be whimsical events such as costume contests and best trick contests.  There will be competitions with everything from Jack Russell Terrier races with the famous dogs (and national champions!) of our local Jacks BQuick to agility dogs to the crowd-pleasing wiener dog races.  This is a definite “must see” event!  Watching a wiener dog race will make you smile!

If you have a Dachshund, you will definitely want to join in on all the fun and enter your wiener.  Pre-registration for the Wiener Dog Races is encouraged, but you can also register your racer the day of the event for an additional $5 fee. Registration forms and rules can be downloaded from the Big Bend Barkfest website at http://bigbendbarkfest.com/ , or please just visit the site for more information.  Should you have any questions about the Wiener Dog Races, just send an email to This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it and someone will be happy to respond.

To you wieners out there who have never been in a race before, no problem. A practice run will be held prior to the big race on March 6, 2010.  Please continue to check our web site for the time, date and place of the practice run.

Big Bend Barkfest, Inc. is also proud to announce that a celebrity has joined us in our promotion effort to publicize The Big Bend Barkfest.  JarJar Binks, a 7’ tall lifelike replica of the loquacious Star Wars character, will serve in two capacities.

JarJar Binks is 7’ tall!

Mr. Binks will make public appearances on behalf of Barkfest.  You may make his acquaintance at a number of locations around Crawfordville between now and the festival in March.  You can check out his schedule on our referenced website.

Most importantly, JarJar is looking for a new home and you have an opportunity to have that home be yours!  We are sponsoring a raffle for JarJar.  The winner will be announced at Barkfest on March 6, 2010 (need not be present to win).  For $2.00 per ticket, you can take a chance on making him part of your family!  Of course all of the proceeds from the raffle go toward our cause, which is to provide care for homeless dogs throughout the Big Bend area of Florida.

Help us help dogs!  We believe Barkfest will become an important part of our local festival tradition and will attract festival-goers, dog lovers, dogs and vendors from all over north Florida and South Georgia. Our website is updated regularly. Please visit www.Big BendBarkfest.com to find out all about BARKFEST, our mission, and how you can help.

We welcome you to be a part of our festival and we will guarantee a good time for the entire family.  With those proceeds and your help, we will be Giving Homeless Dogs a New Leash on Life.

Joan Hendrix and Petra Shuff
Co-Chairs- Wiener Race Committee

This article originally published on December 30, 2009.

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