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Dog Food Demo Girl |
Biscuit Boy |
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Oh Those Wild Winter Wildwood
Days!
by
Mark "Biscuit Boy" Rogers |
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Our adventure began on Tuesday, February, 3rd,
as we drove down to the Wildwood Convention Center to set up our
by Nature pet foods promotion booth for the Atlantic Ocean Classic dog show.
We listened attentively to the weather forecasts as they were
predicting a major winter storm due to hit the East coast from D.C.
to Philadelphia by the end of the week.
Being ever optimistic, and knowing that truly monumental
blizzards along the South Jersey shore are a rare occurrence, we set
up our Biscuit Bar for charity, stacked our supplies, and put out
our hydraulic grooming table we were giving away in a free entry
raffle. We were now
ready for the start of the show on Wednesday morning so, shortly
before 1 AM, we headed home.
Wednesday started bright and early with cold winter sunshine and
bitter winds and no signs of the record breaking blizzard that was
being predicted to bear down upon us beginning Friday evening.
Undaunted by the weather forecasts we headed off to the
convention center. The day progressed as one would expect for a mid week first
day of a scheduled five day dog show.
There were few spectators but a reasonable turnout of
handlers exhibiting beautiful examples of the majority of AKC
breeds. The ringside
air was filed with apprehension and there was much talk of the
impending winter doom. The
response to our USDA certified organic food was typically favorable
and most passersby filled out entries to win the grooming table.
Although the overall participation in the charity biscuit bar
was less then we had hoped, the verbal praise was generous. Once the magnificent Bulldog won best in show, we
packed up for the day and headed home.
Thursday started and passed much the same as the day before.
However, the tension over the now imminent winter storm had
mounted to such a point that it was now the main topic of
conversation far surpassing who had taken the breed or who was
looking good for best in show, which incidentally turned out to be
the Bulldog again. As Thursday came to a close all indications were that the
South Jersey shore was directly in the cross hairs of a winter storm
of epic proportions.
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The Set-Up with Grooming
Table and Biscuit Bar |
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By Nature
Pet Food |
| Dog Food Demo
Girl |
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The Calm Before the Storm-
The View From The Convention Center Windows |
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Saturday Morning ... And
the snow is still falling! |
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The Hearty, Dedicated ... |
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... or Just Plain Stubborn |
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By Nature
Pet Food |
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Friday
morning we beheld a scene that brought to mind an old mariners
axiom, “Red at night, sailors delight, red in morning sailor take
warning…” As the
sun rose, the sky was an ominous red from North to South and from
where the horizon met night sky.
Even more unsettling was
the convention center parking lot -
many exhibitors were packing up their motor homes and
preparing to hit the roads in an attempt to to escape the impact
zone of the first of two major February Nor’ Easters to bury the
Mid Atlantic region in what was to become a record breaking winter
of 2009-2010.
The
more hearty, dedicated, or just plain stubborn of the exhibitors and
venders hunkered down, took to the business of the day and prepared
to endure the worst of what nature had in store.
The turnout of spectators on what was to be the first of
three days of good gate turnout was abysmal.
The exhibitor presence was noticeably much smaller then what
the catalog indicated.
The mood of those who were present was, however, reminiscent
of those of pioneer days when people faced the adversities of nature
with cavalier enthusiasm.
The day closed with the best in show once again going to the
Bulldog, her quality seemingly as unstoppable as the Nor’ Easter
now making its presence known.
As we left the Atlantic shore on Friday evening we steadily drove
deeper into a winter storm who’s bitter fury had just begun.
The evening wore on and we watched the weather reports in
dismay and disbelief as the D.C. area was getting buried in record
snowfall and the storm continued to zero in on the Jersey shore.
Our hearts were saddened as the warnings of just a few days
prior came to fruition before our weary eyes.
The Atlantic Ocean Classic was in peril as the coast fell
victim to Mother Natures February fury.
The night came to a close with the eerie sounds of a fierce
winter gale outside our windows and a steadily increasing
accumulation of snow that already reached over 10 inches!
We fell uneasily asleep with grim anticipation of what winter
scene the morning would bring.
Saturday morning came cold and early.
After fighting our way to and from our kennel in knee deep
snow that continued to pile up and blow about on bitter winter
winds, we made the dreaded call to ascertain the state of affairs in
Wildwood. Much to our
chagrin, all power had been lost in Wildwood, and conditions there
were more akin to the Greenland ice cap then to a South Jersey
Oceanside resort town. However,
the convention center was being run on generator power, after all,
“The Show Must Go On…”
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Our trusty little front
wheel drive car, Phoebe,
made the 60 mile trek over snow packed and snow laden roads
in just over 3 hours! The
walk from the far reaches of the parking lot to the warm safety of
the convention center seemed as though it might be our last.
Gail force winds whipped blinding snow off the frigid violent
ocean which could not be seen a mere 200 yards away.
Once inside, the generator powered heat and limited lighting
cast warm shadows on a surreal scene.
The show started at noon instead of the scheduled 8 am, but
start it did. Enough
exhibitors and venders had decided to stay that the convention
center did not look like an old west ghost town in the grip of
winter madness. The
convention center was providing hot soup and other warm culinary
treats despite running solely on generator power.
All the hotels in town were without power and heat, so the
only warm food, heat, and lighting were being provided by the
convention center. The
center should be commended on providing a safe, warm, and lighted
haven for man and beast alike!
They even offered those whose hotels had no power the option
to spend the night in the center if they so desired.
The day seemed long, cold, and somewhat depressing.
It was no surprise that not a single spectator showed up.
Normally thousands would have filled the halls to view the
magnificent animals and patronize the vendors, and generally enjoy a
day away from the norm.
Instead the sound of howling winter winds, blinding snow, and
a violent churning sea, when it could be seen were the only things
to be witnessed.
When the seemingly endless day ended, we braved our way back
to our trusty little Phoebe who lay buried in snow and ice
- traversing a sight that can only be described as
frigidly frightening.
We had driven down over snow packed and snow covered roads
that were passable with slow determined patience, but as we left the
darkened city, the
conditions had grown even worse.
We approached the bridge out of town and ventured across in
white out blizzard conditions.
Visibility was down to about two feet past the front bumper.
The inland side of the road was a narrow one car width path
littered with downed power lines and flanked with two feet of
blowing snow.
As we neared home, 60 miles inland from the blizzard ravaged
seashore, we were overwhelmed with disbelief as we watched the
sunset through partly cloudy skies.
Dawn
on Sunday revealed over two feet of snow!
As we let our dogs out from the warm safety of their
overnight sleeping crates, they looked back at us as if we must be
nuts.
The starred blankly at us as if to say, “You want us to go
out in that?”
The sun was shining brightly through patchy clouds as we once
again made our 60 mile trip over alternately cleared and snow packed
narrow roads.
The convention center, still running on generator power, was
the only place in town with heat and lights.
Inside the die-hard exhibitors showed their beautiful dogs
whose oblivion to the scene outside was in sharp contrast to the
long drawn faces of their human counterparts.
Sadness at mother nature's crushing blow and its deadening
effect on the show pervaded the days atmosphere.
The happiest face of the day was not to be found on the best
in show winner.
No, from over 500 entries we drew the name of the winner of
our free hydraulic grooming table.
We excitedly searched the convention center for our winner
unable to announce it by loudspeaker for lack of sufficient
electricity.
There she was.
A 10 year old junior exhibitor, showing Scotties.
Morgan A. had won the coveted table.
The only smile bright enough to warm our hearts after such a
disappointing turnout was that of our table winner.
Her smile as she posed for a photograph perched on her table
seemed the best way to end an otherwise frigid winter dog show
classic.
As we packed up our booth, exhibitors gathered their dogs,
crates, and supplies, and unhappy venders loaded their wares, we
could only manage a melancholy grin and sigh; oh how we would
remember those wild winter Wildwood Days ...
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