Philanthropy Today
Philanthropy Today
Little Apple Splash on the GMCF Community Hour Show Episode - 216
Kitty Pursley joins us to discuss the third annual Little Apple Splash, the world's premier canine aquatics competition coming to Blue Earth Plaza this weekend, featuring dogs jumping from a dock into a pool competing in three disciplines.
• Manhattan hosts the national competition as a qualifier for the world championship in Dubuque, Iowa
• Competition includes big air (long jump), extreme vertical (high jump), and speed retrieve
• 295 entries will transform Blue Earth Plaza into "Dog Town" with competitors from across the country
• Free admission for spectators with events Friday (11am-6pm), Saturday and Sunday (9am-4pm)
• Various vendors include banks, K-State Vet Hospital, dog-related businesses, and food from Aggieville Brewing
• Special "Frankly Unacceptable" beer created for the event with $1 from each going to Bark Foundation
• Hy-Vee partnership creates "grab bags" for Prairie Paws Animal Shelter that shoppers can purchase and donate
• Launch party Thursday at 6pm at Aggieville Brewing's patio is open to the public
• Tyler Jackson joins to discuss his role in promoting the event through social media and event support
Join us at Blue Earth Plaza this weekend for this free family fun event!
Philanthropy Today is brought to you by the Greater Manhattan Community Foundation. In this episode we feature a recently broadcast segment of the GMCF Community Hour, as heard on NewsRadio KMAN. We are back on the GMCF Community Hour on this beautiful Monday morning. I'm Dave Lewis, it's the ninth day of June and we've got a special event that is coming up this weekend. It's the third Little Apple Splash, and the gal that put it all together and is steamrolling this here and year number three is Kitty Pursley. Kitty, great to have you back.
Speaker 2:Thanks, dave, it's great to be here.
Speaker 1:So, for those that are not familiar with Little Apple Splash, tell us what this is all about.
Speaker 2:Well, it is actually the world's premier canine aquatics competition. It's a national competition and also a qualifier for the world championship, which will be held in Dubuque, iowa, in November. So we're all trying for that invite, and it is dogs that are jumping from a 40-foot dock or actually I think it's 36-foot dock now into a 40-foot pool. And we'll be doing three disciplines Big air is the long jump, extreme vertical is the high jump and speed retrieve is how fast.
Speaker 1:And how did you get started in this little effort?
Speaker 2:My daughter. She started competing probably around 2012, and I would go watch her and, and then she gave me my first Belgian Malinois, and so we started looking for things to do, and that's how I got started, and I do love it.
Speaker 1:It's addictive. Is there a name change, cause I remember the term dock dogs?
Speaker 2:It is dock dogs is the organization that we compete through, so dock diving is the organization that we compete through. Duck Diving is the actual event.
Speaker 1:Okay, so Little Apple Splash.
Speaker 2:Is our name for it. Duck Dogs is worldwide, so we all pick a name. Bark Avenue or Bark in the Park is another event. Oklahoma Thunder is one of our closest and we just went to Chandler, arizona. There was an event there. Shields puts on events, so we all have our own names.
Speaker 1:This is going to be a Blue Earth Plaza, which is really a nice location for this, isn't it?
Speaker 2:It is beautiful, perfect. It is perfect setting for what we need.
Speaker 1:And you basically take up that entire southern half of Blue Earth Plaza, the park there, we do.
Speaker 2:We have to create a dog town because competitors come in from all over the country and it's like tailgating with your dogs. They put up their tent, their kennels, fans, um, you know, depending on how hot it is, we have to keep those canines a dog town we put up dog town okay, how many people will be coming to town for this?
Speaker 2:um, there's 295 entries but, like some of us, we'll compete with more than one dog, so quite a few people coming in. Holiday Inn Express is our host hotel, which is perfect because it's right at the venue so people can walk over with their dogs, compete and whatnot. It's pretty cool and walk over with their dogs, compete and whatnot.
Speaker 1:Okay, it's pretty cool. You know, from what I remember, it is a competition. But you know, I look around, everybody loves everybody, and is that just the nature of being the dog lovers united?
Speaker 2:I think it is. We call it community. We are one huge community and even if we don't know each other, we we cheer for someone else's success. We want to do as good as we can with our dogs, but we also want everybody to achieve success. So, yeah, it's fun. It's not backstabbing or petty or anything. We truly get along.
Speaker 1:Let's go through some of the specific timeframes for Little Apple Splash you start Saturday.
Speaker 2:No, actually, we start Friday, friday at 11 is our first wave and we'll go until I think the last wave will probably finish around 5, 30 or 6. Saturday and Sunday we start earlier. We start at nine in the morning and our last. We call them waves, whether they're big airwaves, extreme, vertical or speed. Our last ones will be at four o'clock each day. Finals will be Sunday. The best of the best will compete in each division for their awards.
Speaker 1:I just remember every dog, every dog that jumped the crowd, just erupting each time, regardless of how far the dog went.
Speaker 2:They do. We bring in bleachers to make it comfortable for the spectators and they can sit there and watch for as long as they want. Come and go. I think they have a good time. It's hard to believe those dogs can actually do what they're doing.
Speaker 1:What's the admission fee?
Speaker 2:None it is free. It is a free family fun event, yeah, and we'll have vendors there and whatnot.
Speaker 1:So vendors, can you be more specific? The vendors are they very dog related or are there other things that you might see?
Speaker 2:Not all dog related. We'll have some banks there. Landmark will be there. We'll have some boarding facilities. K-state Vet Hospital will be there. We have some jewelry makers will be there Dog people that make collars. If you watch those dogs dogs you'll see them blinged up in pretty nice jewelry and uh and who doesn't like a blinged up dog?
Speaker 2:oh, my gosh, and they deserve it and some food trucks. Uh, aggieville brewing is going to be our caterer and they will um have beverages as well as food, and if you've been there you know they're awfully good and I love working with them.
Speaker 1:Have you had their wings?
Speaker 2:Yes, I have. I've had about everything I love wings?
Speaker 1:Yeah, because you live out pretty close to that, don't you?
Speaker 2:I think of them as kind of our personal restaurant, because it's on this side, my side of the bridge.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, let's talk a bit about you had mentioned about Landmark Bank, because there are local sponsorships that are key to making this effort happen.
Speaker 2:It is. Hy-vee is our actual event sponsor and they have been our event sponsor for three years now, and one of the things we're doing this year to launch Little Apple Splash is creating a grab bag at Hy-Vee. So when you go shop there now, you'll see a grab bag promoted by Little Apple Splash, Hy-Vee for Prairie Paws, Animal Shelter and what it is. It's prepackaged, so you just pick it up, pay for it and drop it in a collection bin and then it'll go directly to the animal shelter.
Speaker 1:How wonderful an effort that is. That makes it really easy.
Speaker 2:It is, and a lot of people want to participate or support the animal shelter and don't know how to do it. Or don't go out there. This is an easy way for anyone to.
Speaker 1:It's almost like having a dog shower. It is.
Speaker 2:Not a wedding shower, a baby shower, but a dog shower.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:Year round.
Speaker 1:Yeah, what a great idea, and we all know the needs that are out there. Oh, absolutely, and the services that they provide, because that for dog lovers and animal lovers, whatever the case may be, that's a tremendous effort yeah. Tremendous gift to the community.
Speaker 2:It's a way that we can give back. Speaking of vendors, the animal shelter will be at Little Apple Splash. They'll have a booth there and they're going to have dogs walking around with adopt me identification on. So hopefully last year we did get a dog adopted from little apple splash, so I'm hoping for good things this year.
Speaker 1:You know this is, you know I. I remember being there the first year and just having a blast. I took some videos and I really enjoyed what it was that you created. And this there's a an evolution here, just making this event bigger and more family-friendly and just a lot more fun.
Speaker 2:It is Launch party. Thursday night before the competition actually begins, we're having a launch party at the patio at Aggieville Brewing. You'll get a chance to meet competitors. We'll have dogs in the patio so you'll get to see some of the dogs that will be competing, and hopefully we'll have some of our sponsors there, so that is open to the public.
Speaker 1:And this is an effort where, basically, you have a lot of volunteers. Do you need some more help?
Speaker 2:Oh, always. And if anybody is interested volunteering, sponsoring, donating if they will just email littleapplesplash at gmailcom, I will get the information and contact them, but you know we can always use more help.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah. And you also have the Facebook page where you can go to just search Little Apple.
Speaker 2:Splash and it'll pop right up. One of the other things I wanted to mention with the launch party. It's just a great opportunity for Manhattan to meet the competitors and the public.
Speaker 1:We are just in time here. You know we have just a little bit of time here to bring in the social media guru for Little Apple Splash. He's no stranger to the community, Tyler Jackson, hey bud.
Speaker 3:Well hi, mr Dave.
Speaker 1:Lewis how you doing so glad you could make it.
Speaker 3:Yes, glad to make it as well.
Speaker 1:Yeah, glad you took a shower for us too. I can tell yeah. So how'd you get involved in this?
Speaker 3:So, being close friends with Marsha Roselle, her and I have worked a lot of events throughout Manhattan, a lot of the like Bill Stoddard Highway Half Marathon, all the other foot races. She gave me a call one day saying, hey, have you ever heard of Doc Dogs? I'm like, no, actually I haven't. She said it's the competition. She kind of filled in what Doc Dogs was and said I have a friend that's going to be bringing the event to town this summer. And what can you help us with? I'm like, well, I mean whatever I can do. And so Marsha and I met with Kitty and it was just kind of one of those. You know, within high school I read a book called Within the First Three Seconds.
Speaker 3:You meet somebody within the first three seconds and you make subconscious decisions on whether or not you're going to really mesh with that person. Well, I knew within one second I was going to mesh with Kitty. Really well, I mean, who can't?
Speaker 1:Right with that person. Well, I knew within one second.
Speaker 2:I was going to match with Kitty really well, I mean, who can't?
Speaker 3:Right, oh, she's just such a delight.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. We'd even say that without you in the room, kitty. Yeah, thank you, and we may mention that Tyler Jackson is the publisher of City Lifestyle Magazine Manhattan.
Speaker 3:City Lifestyle.
Speaker 1:Okay, yes, thank you very much. Manhattan City Lifestyle Magazine and there's a lot of things that you've been active with, you know, from the promotional side.
Speaker 3:Absolutely To make this happen. Yeah, it's been fun. I made the posters for it. I get to go out and watch the pool getting filled up and then make a reel from that and then just sit out and watch all the dogs. You know I'm not quite as hands-on as Kitty is, certainly, I'm just a just certainly. I might be like the dusting of cinnamon on top of the pumpkin pie. She's the whole pie.
Speaker 2:I'm just a little dusting of cinnamon on top. She's the steak. I'm the sizzle. You know what that does to the pie or the steak. It's the sizzle it makes the difference between normal and exceptional Well there you are.
Speaker 3:It's always good to have good people around you, and so she entrusted me for a little bit of advice, and so that's what I'm here for Just whatever I can do to help out.
Speaker 1:Good for you. Now you are a dog person.
Speaker 3:Oh, yeah, absolutely. Yeah, I have an old English bulldog named Happy. He's not quite.
Speaker 1:He's not jumping no.
Speaker 2:He might sink if he jumped off the dock.
Speaker 3:Yeah, he might, but I bet he would try. He likes water.
Speaker 1:That could be a separate sport is bulldog jumping.
Speaker 3:That would be pretty fun. Oh, that would be hilarious.
Speaker 1:I mean that could be like the side show at the halftime of a basketball game oh, absolutely, when you just have a bulldog competition.
Speaker 3:Well, I will tell you, he does have his own life jacket, so he kayaks with me in the summertime. Oh good, we go to pot two and we just kayak and he hops in the water until he's almost floating on his little life jacket. It's a human-sized life jacket because he's a 75-pound bulldog, but he's got his own life jacket so he'd be ready to rock and roll.
Speaker 1:Anything special we should be looking out for this weekend, with Little Apple Splash.
Speaker 3:Oh yeah, Well, the beer, of course.
Speaker 2:We haven't talked about that. Tyler, tell them about the special beer.
Speaker 3:So the last couple of years this has been pretty fun. We've made a special beer for the event. The last couple of years we've been with Tallgrass Taphouse. This year we're with Aggieville Brewing Company.
Speaker 3:So on May 14th me, kitty, marsha and then also Lauren from the Chamber of Commerce went out to Aguivo Brewing Company and have you been out there yet? Oh yeah. Yeah, that place is great and the people that run it are really great. Jacob, the lead brewer, is really cool. But we made a beer this year. It's called Frankly Unacceptable. So Kitty will be able to talk about who Frankly Unacceptable the dog is. But the beer itself is actually a wit beer, so the best way to describe it has little hints of coriander and orange in it. They say it tastes like a blue moon With the citrus Down by LA.
Speaker 3:So this Thursday night we're going to be having the launch party out at Aguivo Brewing Company and then that beer is going to be available to drink actually at the event, correct?
Speaker 2:At the event, as well as at the launch party, and Aggieville Brewing is donating a dollar for each beer to Bark, which is a charity Bark Foundation, and so not only will Little Apple Splash benefit, but Bark is a well-known canine charity.
Speaker 1:Okay, is the Thursday night event open to the public?
Speaker 2:Yes, it is Absolutely, and we encourage people to come out. It's going to be fun. Just a party atmosphere. Eat good food, drink good beer.
Speaker 1:And we'll be able to meet a few of those dogs too right, yes, pardon me. What time does that start?
Speaker 2:Six o'clock, okay, yep, and you'll get to meet some of the dogs, writing it down on my head. Well, I'm going to leave you a little pamphlet too.
Speaker 1:Okay, all right, I need more pamphlets in my life.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you can find it on Facebook. Yes, with all the details Website.
Speaker 1:I have not created a website yet we're using basically Facebook. Social media.
Speaker 3:Yep, all right. Yeah, we're going to be having an Instagram page for this weekend as well, so we'll be giving all the updates so that way you'll be able to know the times of when all the competitions are going down. Of course, the finals are on Sunday, which is the big one everybody needs to come out to, but throughout the whole Friday and Saturday all day Sunday, I mean, it's come and go. It's a fun event. It's fun for the whole entire family, and watching these dogs be the athletes that are putting on a showcase is really pretty exciting.
Speaker 1:You're bringing Patty out, the dog You're bringing your dog Happy. Happy. I'm sorry.
Speaker 3:Happy, we'll see.
Speaker 1:The older he gets, the less he likes other dogs.
Speaker 3:He's not quite as social, but he does have his own stroller that I can zip him up in, and Happy might make an appearance he would.
Speaker 1:He would hey. Thanks for making it in here in the nick of time. Thank you, dave. Always good to see you. Tyler Jackson, publisher of Manhattan City Lifestyle Magazine. Kitty Persley with Little Apple Splash Thanks for doing this. This is such a cool event for the city of Manhattan.
Speaker 2:Oh, it's incredible. It's fun to put it on and I do have a lot of support. Sponsors are too long to list here, so they will be listed on social media and they've got to know. I appreciate every one of them.
Speaker 1:We'll be back in just a couple of moments here in the GMCF Community Hour with a little visit about MATC and some of their activities. That's a lot to talk about here on the GMCF Community Hour here on NewsRadio KMAN.