Purina Event Center Offers Total Package

In the year since Parson Russell Terriers helped break ground for the new Purina Event Center, work has progressed ahead of schedule to create a world-class dog show facility that will open this fall at Purina Farms in Gray Summit, Mo.

Among the first new events to be held at the Event Center is the United Kennel Club's (UKC) Gateway Nationals October 29 to 31. "We added this event as soon as we saw the architectural rendering," says Michelle Morgan, senior director of dog events for the UKC. "We anticipate around 2,000 entries with people coming from all over the country. The amenities offered at this center will make this one of our most special events."

Though conformation dog shows are the main attraction, the UKC is also planning dock jumping competitions at the dock diving pool at the Purina Farms' Visitors Center. The 18-by-50-foot pool is designed specifically for the dock jumping sport. At future Gateway Nationals, the UKC plans to add agility, obedience and rally competitions.

Construction began on the $10 million, 84,000-square-foot indoor Purina Event Center in April 2009. A grand opening ceremony is planned for August, and the first event will be the Three Rivers Kennel Club of Missouri all-breed shows September 17 to 19.

Among the major events planned this year is the United Flyball League International (U-FLI) Tournament of Champions November 12 to 14. The event will draw about 1,000 people and 70 flyball teams that finished first, second and third at six U.S. and Canadian qualifying champion­ships. Though the tournament used to rotate to different locations in the Midwest, organizers are planning to commit long term to the Event Center.

"We are excited about holding the Tourn­a­ment of Champions at the Event Center this year," says U-FLI co-owner Melanie McAvoy. "It's a great location. I expect the tournament to go over so well at the new facility that we'll have even more people attend next year."

The man who has been guiding hard-hat tours of the new facility while under construction and who has been taking reservations from all-breed and parent clubs is Brock Fitzgerald, Director of Purina Farms. "Purina has long-standing relationships with many loyal members of the dog fancy," he says. "Welcoming the fancy to the new Event Center, where our goal is to support them with everything they need and want for the dogs, themselves and the sport, is another way we can show them our appreciation."

Just across the Mississippi River in Belleville, Ill., the Belle-City Kennel Club opted to move its March all-breed conformation shows to the Event Center, starting in 2011 after more than 40 years at the local fairgrounds. The event draws about 1,500 entries and some of the top professional handlers in the Midwest.

"We are truly excited about moving our shows to Purina Farms," says Belle-City show chairman John Hughes. "The possibility of inclement weather this time of year has kept us from considering Purina Farms; the new indoor center changes things. Most importantly, we will have ample space for exhibitors in a state-of-the-art facility designed specifically for dog shows. Our club will also have room to expand our March shows to include obedience."

The Golden Retriever Club of America (GRCA) plans to hold its National Specialty at the Event Center in 2012. The last time the event was held at Purina Farms in 2000, there were more than 2,000 entries, making it the largest event ever at the outdoor venue.

"Our weeklong National Specialty entails a great deal of planning and coordinating to find a location that can accommodate us," says GRCA show chairwoman Karen Arbuthnot. "Not only will the Event Center provide a wonderful facility for conformation, agility, obedience and rally, it also will offer a venue for our hospitality and educational events, dinners and social functions. We'll hold the tracking and field trial events at nearby locations."

"We're thrilled to welcome back the GRCA National Specialty," Fitzgerald says. "When this club came years ago, we had several rows of grooming stations set up under tents and in the barn. This year, the handlers and exhibitors will particularly enjoy the benching and grooming area with the dog bathing room."

The first group to reserve the Event Center was the Gateway Cluster, made up of three all-breed clubs based in Missouri. The biannual event has been held at Purina Farms' outdoor venue since the late 1990s. The clubs expect to grow attendance from 1,400 to 2,000 entries at the indoor facility.

Cledith "Clete" Wakefield, president of the Spirit of the Heartland Kennel Club and AKC delegate representing the Jefferson County Kennel Club of Missouri, says, "The Purina Event Center will be the premier dog show facility in the country. We are fortunate to have this wonderful location for dog shows right in our backyard. Best of all, we know firsthand how accommodating Brock Fitzgerald and his staff are to help us put on the best event possible. With this new facility, we have the opportunity to do that."

Besides the spaciousness of the 45,000-square-foot main exhibition hall and the adjoining 13,500-square-foot benching and grooming area, the Event Center has numerous eye-catching amenities. In the dog bathing room are six stainless-steel tubs with easy access ramps. Three tubs are for left-handed groomers, and three are for right-handed groom­ers. Skid-resistant, coated-concrete flooring promotes safety. About 160 grooming stations are available, each with its own electrical access.

In the main exhibition hall, high-efficiency fluorescent lighting shows the true colors of dogs' coats. Special padded sport flooring provides a cushion for comfort. Three huge ceiling fans, each 24-foot in diameter, help circulate air. At a special event, Purina employees signed the blades of the center fan.

Free wireless Internet service is available to guests anywhere near the Event Center. Seventy-four full-service recreational vehicle (RV) hookups are available in close proximity to the Event Center, with 46 additional spots nearby. More than 230 free parking spaces are provided, and several drop-off entrances ease unloading of grooming supplies and equipment. Additionally, 24-hour security is provided.

Construction recently began on a service center building adjacent to the Event Center and the RV lots. The building will incorporate a conference room for clubs, an examination room for health clinics, two stainless-steel dog bathing tubs, restrooms with showers, and a kitchenette adjacent to an outside pavilion.

"We realized we needed a catch-all building that would offer additional services to clubs and our guests," Fitzgerald says. "That's the purpose of the service center. As the grand opening draws closer, we are getting very excited. Our Purina pride can't help but shine through."