(Interlaken, NY) Americana Vineyards Winery is is very pleased to announce that their rescue dogs and official winery greeters, Maverick and Lilly, will again be hosting Woofstock, now in its seventh year, to benefit local shelters and rescues on June 8, from 12:00pm to 7:00pm at the winery. Kids, pets and parents are all invited for a jam-packed day of fun, and asked to bring donations of pet food and supplies to support these local shelters and rescues: Pet the Pet Program, Fetch a Friend Rescue, Browncoat Cat Rescue, Cortland Community SPCA and Brindle Posse Rescue.
"This year, we're really upping our game," said the pooches' Dad and winery owner, Joe Gober, Jr. "We've moved the event to the second Saturday in June so it doesn't compete with any events in Ithaca, so there is no excuse not to come! We've added a lot of new pet vendors, including Barrett Ball, which is a virtually indestructible dog toy invented by a local vet James Hayes and named after his service dog, Barrett. We have Go Dog Go, which is a collaborative of animal care professionals out of Ithaca who will be doing a lot of small training demos throughout the day. We've even got a dog communicator and psychic! And this year, we have Dave's Premium Pet Food at the event talking and sampling their dog food and providing the prizes for all the dog contests."
Americana has always been a pet-friendly winery, and a strong animal rights advocate. The winery team decided to bring it all together with a party, with Americana donating the time, space, winery products, event costs and marketing to do it right. The staff also donates their tips, while community members, family and friends all volunteer their time to make the event a continued success.
The day-long benefit consist of plenty of kid-friendly and pet-friendly fun from 12:00pm to 7:00pm. The rescues will be on hand to accept the donations, discuss pet adoption and allow everyone to cuddle with their "pet adoption ambassadors." In exchange for donations, (people) attendees will receive Doggone Fun Ticket for every dollar in food, supplies and cash they donate. The tickets can be used for activities wine tastings, beer flights and wine slushies, a pick-a-prize raffles, dog talent show votes, kids games and kid-friendly foods and drinks.
In addition, there will be lots of activities to keep the dogs busy all day, including the Dog Park with pools, water and toys; and a Dog Agility Course where, for $5, the dogs can run the course twice and compete for prize baskets. New this year is the My Dog's Got Talent Show where dogs can show off their skills to compete for prizes. Entry into the dog show is also $5, and the "performers" will be judged by a panel of local celebrity judges, as well as a People's Choice winner. And, the winery opens up the pond for the day, for the dogs to swim in and play around.
For the kids, there will be plinko and corn hole, along with a bounce house for the little ones. All games and kids activities require just one "Doggone Fun Ticket" and will run all day long. Doggone Fun Tickets can also be used for kids' favorites like hotdogs, ice cream, popcorn, water and lemonade.
For the adults, there will be food, vendors, wine and beer. They can also buy 4 bottles of wine in the winery and get commemorative Woofstock labels with their pet's picture! There will also be pick-a-prize raffle baskets, 50-50 raffles, and live auctions between the bands, where they can bid on different Finger Lakes Getaways: Northern FLX Getaway, and the FLX By Water Getaway. All raffle and auction items have been given to the event from several pet-friendly and animal supportive local businesses and organizations, including Microtel Inn & Suites of Seneca Falls and Finger Lakes Sailing Charter.
"The donations this year have really been outstanding and diverse," said winery staff member Pati Ward, who co-chairs the donation committee. "We have tickets to so many popular annual Finger Lakes events including the Cayuga Lake Wine Trail Holiday Shopping Spree and the Finger Lakes Cheese Festival. For the animals, we have everything from CBD oil to vet care certificates. For the guys, there are lots of car care raffle items, and for the ladies lots of spa and salon services. There are dining gift certificates to top area restaurants, rounds of golf, museum passes, show tickets, boat cruises and more -- not to mention lots of wine and spirits from our friends around the lakes! And we can't thank everyone for their incredible generosity!"
For four-legged family members, there will be several pet vendors on hand, including Encore Grooming & Spaw, a mobile grooming service from Ovid who donates all the money from the day's pet grooming and primping services to the cause. There will also be a Microchipping Clinic, courtesy of Cayuga Veterinary Services of Auburn, which is Fearfree Certified and AAHA accredited, where pet owners can get their fur babies microchipped for just $25. And Pink Peony will be back, selling Woofstock doggie bandannas.
For kids, dogs and adults alike, there will be a full day of live music, generously donated by area musicians for the cause. The bands for the day are El Caminos and Purple Valley, and The Tarps who will each play 2-hour sets in the Pavilion, starting at noon, with The Tarps playing through until 8:00pm.
"Whether you can only spend a few hours with us or are coming for the whole day, there will be tons of fun for everyone -- kids, pooches and animal lovers," said Gober. "And you'll be helping a great cause while you're having a great time! Every year this event just gets bigger. And better!" A full schedule of festivities and updates are be available on Americana's website, the Woofstock FLX website or the winery's Facebook Event listing.
"Lil and I know we have it made here at Americana. Our Dads are awesome and everyone here gives us nothing but love. But we know that there are lots of dogs and cats that don't have any home at all," woofs Maverick, the younger, outspoken spokes-pup of the winery's dynamic canine duo. "Woofstock is our way of helping our brothers and sisters out who aren't as lucky, giving them the chance to find a great life too!"
For people who can't make it that day, donations are already being accepted at the winery in the form of $1 Paws for the Cause and on their Woofstock Gofundme page. And people can follow along that day on Mav's & Lil's adventures on their Instagram page or the Winery's Facebook page.
