SouthArk Outdoor Expo to add dog show this year

The SouthArk Outdoor Expo, presented by the South Arkansas Community College Foundation, as usual will bring with it a number of contests when it returns Sept. 9, but this year there will be a new one.

Making its debut at this year’s Expo will be a dog show, said Heath Waldrop, coordinator of marketing and communications for SouthArk.

He said the Union County Animal Protection Society Dog Bowl will present awards in each of a

number of different categories: Best Dressed, Cutest, Scruffiest, Most Congenial, Best Trick, Best Kisser and Best Catcher. The entry fee will be $10 per canine if paid by Aug. 30 and $15 thereafter.

The El Dorado Chemical Rib Cook-Off, with its $5,000 in prizes including a $2,000 top prize, will return to the Expo this year with categories for ribs, other smoked foods, team spirit and rig construction. Entry fees are $100 per team for the rib contest, plus additional fees for the other contests. Deadline for entry is Sept. 1.

The outdoor photography contest will include a $200 best of show prize and $100 top prizes in each of the four individual categories (Flora, Wildlife, People in the Outdoors and Scenes), along with second- and third-place cash prizes. The entry fee is $5 per photograph, with a deadline of Sept. 6.

The annual Nexans AmerCable Major Ronald Wayne Culver Hero 5K Walk-Run will provide a $100 prize to the top overall male and female finisher and ribbons to other winners by age bracket. It costs $25 to enter through Aug. 30 and $30 afterward. For more information about each of these contests, including entry forms and payment details, see www.southarkexpo.com.