VG center to host Dock Dogs Sept. 15-17
With glowing reports about how West End Center businesses fared promotion-wise and financially following Red, White & Blues Jam July 8, something “unique” is targeted at Village Green shopping center looking to create the same positive effect.
Dock Dogs, a national competition involving dogs jumping into a small pool of water, is scheduled to bring a regional event to Town from Friday, Sept. 15, to Sunday, Sept. 17, in the shopping center parking lot, located along Kingston Pike near its intersection with North Campbell Station Road.
The event, dubbed “Dog Daze @ Village Green,” is being coordinated by Shop Farragut/Farragut Business Alliance.
“We felt like this Dock Dogs event would give us an opportunity to, in essence, collaborate on another shopping center event. To be able to tie in businesses where the center is located and the Town of Farragut while doing something unique in the area,” Herc Ligdis, SF/FBA president, said during the alliance’s monthly meeting Thursday, July 20, in Farragut Town Hall boardroom.
“And also give us a tie-in with Visit Knoxville because they’re hosting the national championships for Dock Dogs,” he added.
“As soon as we sign the documents, they start promoting it so that we can get contestants from the whole Southeast,” Stephen Krempasky, SF/FBA executive director, said.
As for feedback from shopping center merchants, “They could not be more excited about this,” Krempasky said.
He added that six of the Village Green merchants he had contacted to that point “are all pet friendly and ready to go.”
“All of the merchants have really signed off on it,” Ligdis said. “They’re excited about it.”
Merchants will have the opportunity to hold a “sidewalk sale,” Ligdis said.
With the Tennessee Volunteers Football team scheduled to play Florida in Gainesville late Saturday afternoon and early evening during the event, a “beer garden is there in order for TVs to be set up for all the football,” Krempasky said.
Areas will include “vendors, to sell booth space,” Krempasky added. “… Food vendors available there. Of course we’ll also have beer sales.”
Bleachers will be set up “so that people can see the dogs jumping,” Krempasky said.
Krempasky has dubbed Friday evening, Sept. 15, as “Pooch Plunge” involving local dog owners letting their pets have a DogckDogs trial run.
“What the Town’s Parks & [Recreation] is really excited about is the Friday night local jump where any local dog lovers can come in and try it,” he said.
“The cost of the event is $8,000,” Ligdis said. “What we’re looking to do is sell sponsorships to offset that $8,000 cost as much as possible.”
“TDS is the main sponsor,” Krempasky said. “… The thing about the sponsorship is kind of unique: Kevin Human with Ricki’s Pet Depot has pet suppliers that are willing to put money up into it to have a presence there.”
Final approval of Dog Daze/Dock Dogs by Farragut Board of Mayor and Aldermen still is pending.
“This is the event that we were looking at to replace Art in the Park because, after some careful analysis, we felt like Art in the Park wasn’t meeting our mission, which is promoting businesses in the Town of Farragut,” Ligdis said.
