Grace Community Center to host Pet Expo
After the success of the first one, it comes as no surprise that Grace Community Center on Hancock Bridge Parkway in North Fort Myers will hold its second annual Pet Expo this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Things look promising for this year’s expo – of the 55 vendor booths available, all but eight have been filled, according to Paula Short, an organizer for the event.
“This is our second year, and the first year did really well. Usually any event that Grace Community Center holds does really well because it’s well known in the area,” Short said.
The event will feature seven rescue shelters with animals seeking homes, up from four last year and will include, for the first time, a cat rescue, this after a more dog-centric debut Pet Expo last year.
Short said they tried to get a parrot rescue from Punta Gorda this year, as well as a number of pet-related vendors such as pet stores, veterinarians, groomers, animal sitters, a pet portrait person who will snap a photo of your best friend, and more.
There will also be a Doggie DNA person there, Short said.
“They do DNA on the dog to determine what it is. If your dog is a mutt and it has 22 breeds in it, it will tell you the breeds in the dog,” Short said.
Also there will be things to keep the kids occupied such as face painting, temporary tattoos and bounce houses, and there will be a variety of local food vendors.
The Pet Expo will also feature pet contests in five categories, with prizes for the top three finishers.
They will have winners for the cutest girl, the handsomest guy, most talented, the one who looks most like its owner and a pet costume contest.
“In between, we will have demonstrations by local kennels to show how well trained their dogs are,” Short said.
Admission is a donation of dog or cat food to help stock the shelves of our Feed the Pack Pet Ministry.
“It helps people who are out of work and can’t afford to feed their pets. We help them with dog and cat food,” said Carol Musselman. “Last year we gave out 3,500 pounds of cat food and 19,000 pounds of dog food.”
They also have a ministry called P.A.W.S. (Pets are Working Saints) where pets go monthly into area nursing homes and provide companionship for the elderly and the sick, which she said is therapeutic.
For additional information about the event, contact Carol at 574-7161 or visit our website at www.egracechurch.com.