Woofstock- Free Write 10

We hosted our third event yesterday and I can't even begin to describe how tired I am. Physical prep work for an event starts days before, so on Thursday we began pulling out and cataloging supplies we would need. Friday consisted of loading all the supplies at City Hall and the Community Center into our trucks and bringing it to Tumbleweed Park. All in all it took 2 trips and loading/unloading supplies 4 times. On Saturday (event day) we started early at 5 in the morning. The City of Chandler has a huge trailer that they use for events and other things. It contained all the tables and chairs and trashcans and canopies we needed. I was in charge of helping unload and distributing them around the park at the appropriate areas for vendors that had requested them. Let me just say that "Easy Up" canopies are anything but.
Woofstock is our only dog-centered event and we had so many related activities there. We had a dog psychic, dog massage, a fur parlor (a mobile grooming company that airbrushed eco-friendly, washable tattoos on the dogs), multiple rescue groups, and lots of recreation activities for dogs such as agility and a lure course (an obstacle course that has the dog chase after a toy on a wire). The event itself started at 9:00 and was so much fun and such a success! I was so impressed with all the vendors and participants we had. There was almost virtually no trash and everyone cleaned up after their dogs. Later in the day I helped orchestrate the "Pet Parade" which showcased dogs and their owners who had dressed up. The participants loved it and it were surprised when I handed out actual medals to the winners! At the start of the day I did a walk-through to make sure the vendors were all there and in the right spot. Throughout the day I checked up on them to see how it was going and to ask input on what could be improved. It was a great exercise in conflict resolution and also with interacting with the public and clients.
Overall, though, the feedback was great and people loved the event. The Maricopa Animal Care and Control was there and reported that they had adopted all of their dogs out by the end of the event, That sounds like success to me! My family even stopped by with my dogs:

Wally and Marty say: "We love the City of Chandler Special Events!"