Branford Compassion Club Hosts Animal Awareness Day with the Annual Blessing of the Animals OCTOBER 2, 2022 on the Branford Town Green
Dear Friends and Supporters:
That time of the year is coming up again – time to celebrate our animal friends of the family with a pet festival as we once again host Animal Awareness Day from noon – 4:00 p.m. Sunday, October 2, 2022 on the Branford Town Green. This event benefits the Branford Compassion Club Feline Rescue & Adoption Center.
It’s a fun day for everyone, including music, children’s activities, food trucks, live animals (mini horses!), live animal educational demonstrations, a giant bake sale, booths featuring a variety of area animal care and rescue groups, as well as craft and business vendors, and you never know what other surprises may happen! This year we have use of the entire green and will be utilizing the giant “circus-style” tent that will still be on the Green from events held prior to ours. There will be an option for you to either be under the large tent or bring your own. More on that later if you sign up!
The highlight of the day, as always, will be the Blessing of the Animals at 1:30 p.m., the annual nod to the Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals, large and small. An interesting array of pets always makes their way to the Green to be blessed by local clergy from several denominations. In past years, that parade has ranged from dogs, cats and gerbils to horses, rabbits and birds.
We are looking for many vendors to join us as well as our fellow rescue/non-profit groups. Click here for a Vendor Application.
You can pay by mail, making your check (sorry, no credit cards) payable to Branford Compassion Club, along with your completed form, and mailing them to me directly. We encourage you to pass on the application to any other vendors or animal rescue groups you may know who might be interested in joining our event. The deadline to respond is August 31.
This is a big year for the Branford Compassion Club, celebrating our 25th anniversary in existence while rescuing and finding homes for several thousands of homeless cats since we began! BCC is a privately funded nonprofit organization founded in 1997 to raise awareness about the importance of spay-neutering felines, to aid in the adoption of homeless cats and care for those deemed unadoptable in area feral colonies. Those feral cats are trapped, neutered and released into the perpetual daily care of BCC volunteers. Our Feline Rescue & Adoption Center, which opened in 2011, although currently still closed to the public due to the pandemic, continues to rescue and rehome cats on a daily basis, and this need and this challenge remain a high priority.
We look forward to and greatly appreciate your support!
Chris Gagne, Board of Directors and Fundraising Chairperson