By Stacey Tinsley, stinsley@bossierpress.com
Two upcoming events will seek to match pets with families at Margaritaville.
The Bossier City resort-casino is hosting the Paws in Paradise adoption event and teaming up with Rockers Rescue for Crafts and Canines fundraiser benefitting local animal rescues on Sunday, Dec. 2.
The first-ever Crafts and Canines Benefit will be presented by Rockers Rescue from 2-5 p.m. at Margaritaville’s Riverview Restaurant and Brewhouse. The first annual beer and pizza sampling event offers guests a chance to enjoy Riverview’s delicious brick oven pizza and a variety of craft beers.
Simultaneously, Margaritaville’s Paradise Theater will open to the public for the 4th annual Paws in Paradise Pet Adoption Event, a showcase of area rescue pets available for adoption. Attendees are welcome to bring their own pets to the event as well.
“We are so excited about the addition of Rockers Rescues’ Crafts and Canines Benefit to this years’ Paws in Paradise lineup. We are always looking for new ways to get the public excited and involved in helping our local animal rescues, and Crafts and Canines offers an exciting twist to our month-long fundraising,” said Barry Regula, Margaritaville GM. “Over in the theater, we will have a variety of local animal rescues and their adoptable pets waiting to find the perfect family. Giving the community a new way to adopt pets and raise money for the rescues is what Paws in Paradise is all about.”
Founder and Executive Director of Rockers Rescue, Meghan DeMoss, said, “All of the proceeds are going to the nonprofit rescue organizations. I think it’s huge that the public knows all of the proceeds go to local non profit rescues that are participating in Paws in Paradise.”
Margaritaville employee, and animal rescue volunteer, Laura Moehring, says that she is proud to be employed with a business that supports events so close to her heart.
“My employer makes me proud by going the extra mile to help local pets in need. Paws in Paradise is the single largest gathering of rescues and shelters this area has ever seen. Fundraising and finding quality homes for abandoned pets is very hard in an area that has a serious overpopulation of cats and dogs. Being a volunteer for one of the local nonprofits that will be attending only increases my passion for the annual event. Thank you, Margaritaville,” says Moehring.
November is “Paws in Paradise” month at Margaritaville Resort Casino. All retail and dining outlets, as well as the hotel front desk, will have $1 paper “Paws” for sale to the public. All of the proceeds from paper paws sales will be added into the final fundraising amount distributed amongst the participating animal rescues.
In addition, the public is invited to submit a photo of their pet on Margaritaville’s Facebook page for the third annual “Most Photogenic Pet” contest. The top 10 pets with the most Facebook likes will enter the contest finals, and one fur baby will win a $250 gift card to PetSmart during the Paws in Paradise main event Dec. 2.
Since 2015, Paws has raised awareness of the needs of numerous rescue and shelter organizations in the Shreveport-Bossier community. Far exceeding its original goal of offering a fun alternative way to place pets in loving homes, Paws in Paradise has raised over $45,000 for these organizations and found forever families for over 150 pets.
Tickets are $35 per person. All proceeds from the event benefit animal rescues in Northwest Louisiana. Tickets are on sale at eventbrite.com.
