145th Show Marks the First Time in History that Westminster has Been Held Outside of NYC – Westminster 2021

By Amy Fernandez

It’s hard to believe but Westminster kicks off Friday, which is about as untraditional as life gets. But that doesn’t imply any changes in their famously obsessive dedication to detail. We all took a hike up to Lyndhust on Tuesday to get a looksee at the prep work which has been going on for the past two weeks nearly 24/7. And I can assure you that there’s been no lapse in quality control when it comes to show planning. Everything is precisely mapped out like a battle plan. And in a sense it is a battle with expectations and the hard work required to meet them.

Okay, so what’s different about this year’s show?

Let’s start with the obvious. Rather than the endless delights of midtown Manhattan in February, we must content ourselves with the rolling greenery of a castle on the banks of the Hudson River in June. Just grit your teeth and march on….amongst the beautiful scenery!

Needless to say, the Lyndhurst Estate is familiar to most of us on the East Coast. It was the place that made Westchester KC such a uniquely glamorous event. Sort of like the unbeatable backdrop of Britain’s celebrated Windsor dog show which actually starts July 2 this year and, as usual, will be staged under the ramparts of Windsor Castle along the Thames. Nothing can top a castle for conjuring up some grand atmosphere for an event. And Lyndhurst castle is definitely worth a look. It’s packed with incredible canine memorabilia, including several items trucked in especially to dress up this particular show. I have to say they definitely don’t make trophies like that anymore.

Hopefully exhibitors will find a few minutes to stroll around the grounds and check out the view, the architecture and the rest. It is a one-time deal as Westminster spokesperson Gail Miller Bisher pointed out to the armada of news crews assembled there on Tuesday. Their 145th show marks the first time in history that Westminster has been held outside of NYC.

But we don’t come for sightseeing opportunities. We have made that pretty clear over the past 50+ years of coming to Madison Square Garden. Nobody has time or incentive to go wandering around tourist attractions. And the typical February NYC weather is no more appealing than our notoriously hot, sweltering summers.

So, that’s the other big thing. Everyone is mentally conditioned to indoor circumstances when showing at Westminster. Yeah, it’s a big deal in every respect. Keep calm. The actual show is mostly an indoor event, complete with air conditioning. Heat, humidity, bugs and inconvenient thunderstorms will not present much of a worry. That’s a good thing based on what we saw Tuesday. It gave everybody a taste of typical, hot, steamy New York summer weather. Most events will happen in the big tent, which is truly gigantic. Like I said, they have been building these show accommodations for two weeks and they are still not done. It’s got all the creature comforts, as does every other temporary structure on the grounds.

However, they did default to their former all champion 2500 dog show format for obvious reasons. That is definitely a drastic change after the last few years of relatively expansive comfort over at the piers. After decades of benching at the Garden, that luxury was easy to get used to. No room for that sort of thing this year. We are back to a limited entry, as well as no benching, no spectators and a few vendors.

But there are 209 breeds that are represented, including entries from ten countries–and they deserve special recognition for managing to get here this year. The same goes for the exhibitors coming in representing every single state. Also, the show will feature competitors from all four of AKC’s newly accepted breeds–the Barbet, Biewer Terrier, Belgian Laekenois and the Dogo Argentino. They were also featured in the Westminster showcase on Tuesday.

Otherwise, if you’ve been to Tarrytown you know that they don’t believe in signage up there. It ruins the quaint, hometown vibe. Once you get off 87, it’s easy to get lost if you don’t have a good GPS. On the other hand, they definitely love speed limits, especially in residential zones. And the parking? My advice is to get there early and be patient, but that applies to every aspect of the Westminster weekend. The party starts this Friday with 350 Agility dogs competing in the Eighth Annual Masters Agility Championship. You can watch it on Fox Sports. They will be there broadcasting all three days.

This year is not what we are accustomed to, but life is returning to normal and that is plenty of reason to celebrate. And the good news is most COVID restrictions in NYC have been lifted in case you are feeling adventurous while you’re here.

See you this weekend at the 145th Annual Westminster Kennel Club dog show.

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Posted by admin on Jun 10 2021. Filed under Current Articles, Featured. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.