Woofstock music event to aid Fulton County animal shelter project

PHOTOGRAPHER: Michael Lamendola

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Hey man, time to break out the sunglasses and peace beads — Woofstock is coming.

Woofstock is a fundraiser for the Regional Animal Shelter scheduled 4 to 9 p.m. Saturday at Robin’s Nest on Stevers Mills Road.

The nonprofit organization hopes to raise $6,001 at the event, to be used toward the construction of an animal shelter on Maple Avenue in the town of Johnstown. The proposed shelter would cost approximately $400,000; the organization has raised $24,000.

Renee Earl, a member of the shelter’s board, said the Sept. 8 fundraiser’s theme is in keeping with Woodstock, the famous musical festival that featured three days of “peace, love and music.” The festival is considered the ultimate event of the hippie era.

In contrast, Woofstock will offer music, food and a chance to help animals in Fulton County, Earl said. “We will have several bands performing inside. It is a family event. The music starts at 4:30 p.m. There will be nonstop entertainment until the crowd goes home,” she said.

Animals will be not permitted at the event because of health code regulations.

The bands — Clean Street, Rocky Graziano, Roger “True” Guzman of Time Lab Productions, Two Out of Three and Johnny Martini, the “Godfather of Karaoke” — are offering their talents for free, Earl said. Also providing free services are Sound Militia and the owner of Robin’s Nest. Area merchants are providing food and gifts, which will be sold or raffled, to the shelter for free, she said.

“This is our first major fundraiser since we opened the regional shelter May 17,” Earl said. “We have been fundraising all along. We hope Woofstock will be an annual event.”

The organization is renting space for $1 per year under a four-year reciprocal agreement with the city. The facility contains eight kennels for dogs with outdoor enclosed space.

“We are only able to take in strays from Gloversville. If there is a catastrophe in Fulton County, we would not have any place to take in animals,” Earl said.

She said the goal is to build a facility that will contain 30 indoor and outdoor dog runs, an office, an intake area, an isolation area, 24 large cat cages, bathing and grooming rooms, a feed room, storage and a gift shop.

Eventually, the organization wants to include a surgical area to spay and neuter dogs and cats.