The Big E – Erosion

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108 – July, 2023

By Elaine Lessig

Recently, I went to a meeting for my specialty breed club at a long-established, local all-breed show. The show is held at a very comfortable air-conditioned place for our club members to show dogs and have our meeting during the summer. The club gets a major entry from us. We shop the vendors, have a bite to eat, and enjoy each other’s company. Even the parking exceeds expectations with plenty of nearby spaces in the shade. The venue is clean, bright, and has restrooms. All this seems absolutely perfect.

Shockingly, the show was nearly empty this year. “Where were all the exhibitors?” I wondered. It was so quiet. When I looked around, I saw the show committee sitting on their chairs next to the club table. It was adorned with the trophies and prizes attractively displayed. Then it occurred to me. These are exactly the same members which I have seen for the past twenty-seven years–except for those who have passed on–still proudly wearing their club jackets. The smiles and welcomes that greeted me then greeted me once more. How long, I worried, would they be able to continue? Watching them get up from their chairs to attend to the simplest show detail required far too much effort.

With each year, especially since the pandemic, a show we have always highlighted on our calendars is suddenly gone. It is not a flood of exoduses, but a steady drip–a show here and a show there. In a few cases, a show giving club moves to another date vacated by some other club. Unfortunately, for many clubs, there is just no way to carry on and keep functioning. Some of the reasons are quite obvious. Others are more subtle. The result is the same: one less show, and sadly, one less club.

Click here to read the complete article
108 – July, 2023

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