Wolfstock returns to Lincoln September 19
City will proclaim week of September 14 Animal Awareness Week in Lincoln

[August 15, 2015]  LINCOLN - Tuesday evening, Josh Slightom offered a presentation to the Lincoln City Council representing the Humane Society of Logan County. He was there to request that the city proclaim the third week of September as Animal Awareness Week in Lincoln.

The HSLC is preparing to hold its annual Wolfstock on the third weekend in September. If approved by the Logan County Board next Tuesday, the event would be held in the downtown Latham Park.

Slightom said the goal of Wolfstock and the proclamation was to accomplish the following:

• Raise awareness of proper pet care & prevent animal neglect
• Creatively generate community involvement and revenue
• Procreate activity for the residents of Lincoln
• Build and cultivate relationships within the “pet/animal owner” subculture of Lincoln
• Designate two animals each and every year forward (dogs specifically) as the “K-9 King and Queen” of Lincoln Illinois.

Slightom said there are over 200 million dog owners in the United States and said that pets bring people together. He said regardless of the age or gender of the owner, or the breed of the animal, when people are out in public with their pets they immediately relate to one another. He said even walking about town, two pet owners with their pets will be drawn to one another and will interact with the pet being their common bond.

He said that promoting a pet-friendly community in Lincoln could be a stepping stone to improving the quality of life in the city of Lincoln.

Slightom also noted that the Wolfstock event has been of great benefit to the Humane Society. He said the first year the event was held at Kickapoo Creek Park and brought in $1,000 for the Society. Last year was the third year for the event, and it brought in $3,000 for the HSLC.

Slightom said the HSLC had at least three goals in holding the Wolfstock event:

• To offer educational programs on spay/neutering pets, first-aid education, and teaching kid safety with pets.
• To increase the interaction and cross-marketing capabilities among area businesses including pet owners
• And, to hold more events to bring commerce and tourism to the city of Lincoln through the pet owner community.

He added that, of course, the ultimate goal of the HSLC is to unite people and pets through adoption programs.

Slightom said that regarding the King and Queen component, he believed this first year those two animals would be selected ahead of time, but in future years, the HSLC would like to have some type of electoral process for determining the winners.

Slightom was asked if he had a written proclamation for the council, and he said he did not. One will be written by the city. The item is currently on the Consent Agenda on Monday night.

Items are added to the consent agenda when council members are in agreement that the item should be approved without further discussion. However, the council reserves the right to remove any item from that agenda for further discussion prior to a vote, as they deem necessary.

[Nila Smith]