From The CC Vault: Ribbons, Ribbons and More Ribbons

By Alice Bixler

Originally published: October 2017

It’s just a colorful strip of material embellished with gold lettering and, in reality, worth only pennies. It’s what that ribbon represents which makes it something special. That slim purple swath may denote points toward a championship earned by hours of grooming, conditioning and training.  Or a forest green strip celebrates a qualifying score in obedience achieved by weeks and months of patient training. Each ribbon in the kaleidoscopic collection has a meaning and may be backed by a distinctive memory. Like the time my Beardie shredded my arm band during the long down but he still qualified.

The first time a new exhibitor floats out of the ring clutching a ribbon is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Chances are the precious ribbon will be tacked up on a bulletin board, tucked in a mirror frame, or otherwise displayed in a place of honor to be admired by all who pass by. Old Timers refer to it as ‘setting the hook’ and consider it a way to entice newcomers to return to the sport to relish another taste of victory.

If those new exhibitors stick with the sport of their choice and enjoy even moderate success, the ribbon col- lection starts to add up. And that’s when it becomes a problem. A scrapbook gets too bulky to handle, the bul- letin board is overwhelmed with the accumulation, and the design of the wallpaper in the den disappeared under the bright hued assortment of awards ages ago. It seems a shame to unceremoniously dump those hard-earned ribbons, rosettes and medals in a cardboard box and bury them in the depths of a closet. So here’s where creative competitors cut loose their imaginations to devise ways to display their prized citations.

The possibilities are as unlimited as the wild blue yonder. Some are useful, others merely decorative. Consider wreaths. They’re quick and easy to assemble and they’ re not just for Christmas anymore. Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, Fourth of July, Halloween and Thanksgiving are holidays that lend themselves to wreath themes. Forms to decorate are available at craft stores or can be made from a variety of materials such as the rims of plastic baskets or a pool noodle bent into a circle and held in place with good, old, what-would we-do-without-it duct tape. After that, it’s a matter of attaching the ribbons and/or rosettes with glue, tape, pins or wire – whatever works.

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