Pet Fair to honor pet advocate Bill Sharon
POTTSTOWN » The Pottstown pet community is returning to Memorial Park Saturday for the annual Pottstown Pet Fair and this year, it will be honoring a beloved member of its community.
On Sept. 15 pets of all kinds will be romping around Memorial Park as vendors from all over set up shop and encourage residents to spend some time with their furry friends. This year, the event will be dedicated lifelong Pottstown resident, animal advocate and Pet Fair founder Bill Sharon, who passed away over the summer.
“This year its downscaled because of Bill,” explained Karen Lewandowski, co-organizer of the Pet Fair. “This year is dedicated to Bill Sharon. We’re trying to raise money for his memorial which will be on an island at the rear of the park that overlooks where the Pet Fair is. That will be made into a meditation garden, there will be a sweet magnolia tree, meditation bench and garden. It’s a more solemn year but we feel as if the concentration is where we want it on the animals, pets and rescues and to have people enjoy the park and enjoy Pottstown.”
Lewandowski said that although the fair will have less demonstrations and will not include the vaccine clinic, there will be no shortage of vendors for guests to peruse. The fair has accumulated around 70 vendors for this weekend that will give guests plenty of variety.
“We have the blessing of the pets. It’s an important thing for people. And we have vendors from dog dresses, cat apparel to everything from bones and bowls and insurance agents. All the way around we have a lot of different things for your animals,”she said.
This year in addition to vendors and pets, the fair will also feature several raffles and a specially made calendar in Bill Sharon’s honor that features area cats and their rescue stories. Half of those proceeds will go toward the Bill Sharon memorial funds.
“I’m excited because this is what he lived for and it’s more of a happy memorial for him rather than what went along with his passing. I do miss him because he was the one who put all the pieces together and because it fell on me, it takes about 15 good people. If it weren’t for his friends who stepped up I don’t know what I would do without them. I think it’s a good tribute to what he left behind. His main mission was this Pet Fair and saving animals and enjoying Pottstown,” said Lewandowski.
Starting next year, the Pet Fair will be handled and run by the Pottstown Borough Parks and Recreation Department, according to Lewandowski.
This year’s Pet Fair will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Memorial Park, 75 W. King Street.