| Where We Live |
| building better communities |
| The Perplexing Case of the Pilfered Pooch> |
| On Saturday, April 19, 2008 Where We Live was thrilled to present their first interactive mystery event for kids, in support of The Taz Project! It was a sunny (if blustery) day, perfect for solving crime...... |
| Every year the small town of Tadpole Grove grinds to a halt for the Tadpole Grove Dog Show. Hopeful hounds from miles around gather in the |
| town hall to be judged on their appearance, behavior, training and friendliness. It's the biggest event in town and everybody looks forward to it. For the last four years, the show's Grand Champion has been Cocoa, a beautiful chocolate Lab. Unfortunately this means that the number of visitors is dwindling, and the other |
| Each kid was assigned to be a suspect or an investigator, and were tasked with examining the evidence and interviewing each other to uncover clues, and despite some initial shyness, everyone really got into the spirit of the event! As one parent said, "[What a great] opportunity for these [kids] to practice public speaking, reading comprehension, meeting new people, etc." |
| contestants are starting to grumble. Rumors are spreading that the whole show is a fix. On the morning of the show, Cocoa's owner awakens to find Cocoa missing, and a mysterious note in her place! Who has dognapped Cocoa??? |
| Sleuths receive their final instructions from Jen Iapalucci, before attempting to unravel the mystery...... |
| When all of the interviews were complete and the kids had a chance to submit their guesses, we took a break to enjoy some hot dogs and the beautiful day in Spring Lake Park before being treated to a demonstration by Taz, the Boiling Spring Lakes police dog, and his handler, Officer |
| Meeting Taz |
| Grady Sillings. Taz impressed everyone with his skills, Officer Sillings fielded questions, and then we all had a chance to meet Taz up close and personal! When it was finally time to reveal "whodunnit", there were many great guesses, from the snooty owner of the dog that always comes in second to Cocoa, to the dog show judge who might be trying to "fix" the outcome....but let's just say that when the dognapper was revealed just about everyone was caught by surprise! Thanks to all the kids who attended this event - we hope we'll see you again next time! Thanks also to the many parents and volunteers who pitched in and lent a hand - Pam Sargent, Michelle Lawson, Lisa Mastin, Alecia Davis and MaryAnne Landry - and especially to Officer Sillings and Taz! Extra special thanks to those donors who have helped us so far in our fundraising efforts for Taz, especially Jonathan Richmond Associates, The Iapalucci Law Firm, PLLC and Dan & Marie Smith. For more pictures from this event, scroll down! Click on each thumbnail to view a larger picture. |
