It’s about that time of year again where pet lovers from all over can bark for joy: Woofstock is almost here. Woofstock will be held once again at John Connolly Park on Saturday, Sept. 20 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
This will be the 18th annual Woofstock hosted by The Animal Orphanage in Voorhees.
“Woofstock is our biggest fundraiser of the year. We are a non-profit and no kill shelter, and we don’t get any funding from the state. So all our money comes from donations, the Woofstock included, and we take in about 1,500 animals a year,” said Christine Todd, the shelter’s director.
The big pet festival will host about 50 to 60 vendors, food, music, an alumni parade and more. Families, friends and dogs are all invited to enjoy the festivities.
“We encourage you to bring your dog as long as it is leashed, trained, polite and gets along with other dogs,” Todd said.
Todd promises more vendors, more rescue groups and hopefully more people for this year’s Woofstock.
Some highlights of the festival include the K-9 unit, where officers will do demonstrations for the kids; County Line Veterinary Hospital’s $25 microchipping; and an animal communicator, who will donate proceeds back to the shelter.
Another highlight, and special guest, includes Master Chef Joseph Poon. Known for his culinary skills, Poon has been featured on television shows such as “The Tonight Show” with Jay Leno and “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.” He has been known to make intricate sculptures out of food, such as a watermelon into a swan.
“He’s unbelievable and so creative with food,” Todd said. “He is a carver. It is very interesting what he does.”
There are prizes and raffles to be won, too. Todd said there would be pet contests, one including costumes where pet owners come in costume along with their dogs. Prizes are given out for these fun and creative contests. They are also having their raffles gazebo where more than 100 prizes are raffled off.
All proceeds of the festival will go to The Animal Orphanage’s general fund, which is used for supplies, medical bills and the daily operations.
In addition to the festivities, The Animal Orphanage, along with several other nonprofits, will have animals available for adoption at Woofstock. However, The Animal Orphanage does not do one-day adoptions. People interested in one of the animals will have to come to the shelter another day.
“We don’t do one-day adoptions. It is a process. We do dog meets and vet checks,” Todd said.
However, those who were adopted by families through The Animal Orphanage previously are invited to bring their pets back for the alumni parade. It will feature the adopted pets and how they have grown since being taken to a new home.
“For me, the best part of the event is the alumni parade,” Todd said. “You see strays come in, and then they get adopted, and then you see them happy and healthy again with a family.”
Admission to Woofstock is $1 and kids under 5 are free.
For more information on The Animal Orphanage, or to learn how to become a volunteer, call 627–9111. The shelter is open from noon to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
