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Ballpark Goes To The Dogs During "Bark In The Park"
By Lauren Puglisi
 | | --Photo By Lauren Puglisi Howell's own Erica Gelbard and Trish Kukuiski recently visited the Lakewood BlueClaws with their dogs. The dogs were allowed in the park thanks to the team's "Bark in the Park" event. For more photos from this event, visit our photo galleries at www.micromediapubs.com. |
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It was a day for the dogs recently at FirstEnergy Park during the Lakewood BlueClaws' Fifth Annual "Bark in the Park" event.
For the past fiveyears, the "Bark in the Park" has offered fans a rare opportunity. It's a chance for dog owners to bring their canines inside the ballpark to watch the afternoon's game.
Steve Saxe, of Jackson, sat comfortably at a picnic table sipping coffee with his friend, Jennifer Dawson, while they hung out with their dogs.
"The dogs are just having a good time being in the park and watching the game," Saxe said.
This year, the venue added special activities like doggie fashion shows, dance lessons and training exercises to appeal to the fourlegged fans in the crowd.
Fun for the dogs didn't start when the game did; dogs and their owners were invited to attend the pre-game celebration hours before the gates to the park opened.
During the pre-game event, tents were scattered throughout the parking lot as the Lakewood BlueClaws joined forces with local radio stations WRAT (95.9) and WJRZ (100.1) to host entertaining events for dogs, and even for humans with fun giveaways and chances to be part of a live radio broadcast.
But when the clock struck 4:00, the dog owners wrapped up the pre-game party and headed into the park. Proceeds from their tickets were donated to the Ocean County Animal Shelter.
Although the weather looked questionable, the rain held out just long enough for the herds of dogs to enjoy the various activities and exciting game of baseball.
Rivi Israel and Nicole Rafferty of Rutgers University's Seeing-Eye organization attended the event with their pups to raise awareness.
"Our club raises puppies for the blind. We currently have 12 dogs on campus for seeing-eye use and over 40 sitters volunteering their time to raise the animals," Rafferty said. "This is our first time here and I think the dogs are having a fun time."
Blackie and Julie Caban's dog, Drakie, of Toms River, was the center of attention during the game when he propped himself up on one of the lifeguard stands to get the best view of ball field.
"Drakie always gets the best seat in the house. Everyone is always asking us how he gets up there. It's really funny how much he loves the view," Julie Cuban said. "We always think it would be so cute if a doggie, up in the lifeguard stand, got put on the big jumbo-tron during the 'Bark in the Park' game, but maybe next year, and hopefully, it won't rain again!"
Joan Bogan of Manasquan said her dog, Beau, was taking advantage of all of the doggie treats and snacks that were offered at the game.
"This is event is wonderful, but I think Beau is going to have a hangover tomorrow after eating and drinking so much," Bogan joked.
The spectators at "Bark in the Park" weren't just from nearby towns. Some people traveled long and far to get to the event.
Justin Orem and his family said they drove to Lakewood from Maryland just so their dog Maggie could experience the perks of being at the baseball game.
"We are having a blast. We will definitely come back next year. Right now, we are just trying to figure out if we are going to drive back home in this weather or stay the night," Orem said.
BlueClaws Special Events Coordinator Steve Fargo said in his three years planning the event, this year's "Bark in the Park" had the most participation.
"The sun didn't show up, but I'm happy that the dogs did," Fargo said. "This was the first year that we conjoined with WRAT and WJRZ to host a pre-game event and it was a major success. There were over 20 different vendors and so many activities going on that I am sure that it helped to bring more dogs into the park."
For tickets, schedules and other special event information at FirstEnergy Park, visit http://www.blueclaws.com/.
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