Well looks like wellies and wet gear at the ready ..AGAIN!!!!!!

Friend on caravan site said they were towing motor homes on, they were putting down walkways from the car park yesterday into the show. Apparently very soft underfoot with more rain due :(

Safe journey to all attending.

what differences are there between going to a show on a wet day than a dry day
im going to blackpool on the sunday working group only been to shows on dry days so first time
to a wet day

what do you do differently to a dry day is there anything i should bring that i wouldnt do normaly

sorry to hijack your post

Probably a big towel?

It's terrible. Cars were being towed out b4 the show. I'm absolutely soaked. can't park in the disabled area as it's too bad. Don't think I'll come back tomorrow.

For you:
Wellies, water proofs, towels, brolly

Dogs:
Depends on the breed i guess, i have coats for mine & towels to clean mucky feet, thats about it! But Boxers don't need much to be honest

It's not really the rain raining on you thats the problem, its the ground becoming really mucky, cars stuck in the car park, dogs getting covered in mud, benches wet because the tents leak, entrances to rings/benching tents usually get very bad because of the human traffic walking in and out which makes it really slippy & yacky!
Last day is usually the worst, unless the sun comes out the day before & stays out!

I won't go now -it's not worth it. Blackpool to me is a nice sunny few hours at the show, looking around the trade stands after the judging then heading for the beach with the dogs for a few hours play. With heavy rain , strong winds and temperatures of just 12 C forecast for Sunday , it's not worth the 3 hour journey. ESPECIALLY as I learnt my lesson last year (not at Blackpool but SKC) with one pup that if it gets windy and the marquee flaps a lot, it can put a dog off showing for life, and I am not going to risk my current youngster with any flapping marquees. She's not scared of anything but is at an age where she potentially COULD be should anything happen.  It's windy at Blackpool at the best of times -the year the marquees blew down we left just 5 minuets before it happened. So sadly looks like we'll be missing it this year. Fair enough if we'd have been local and could have popped down with just the old bomb proof girl, but now -not worth the risk. :(

Ankle deep in mud and standing water...INSIDE the tents. Rings reduced to little corners of slightly drier ground.
The informants I have are dreading the exit from the carparks.

> Ankle deep in mud and standing water...INSIDE the tents

That's exactly what it was like at BU, we were all slowly getting closer and closer to the centre of the ring because the water was running down the side of tent and making the edges of the ring swampy
3 in a row like this, 3 co's, BU, & BPool :(

ETA - Ourdogs have just uploaded a picture on facebook......not good!

Just checked out the FB picture, that's bad!! Hope no one injures themself falling in that quagmire.

"Flaming June?" I don't think so :(

be safe all of you who make it  Flaming June is very apt but with the emphasis on the flaming me thinks !! 

Ourdogs have posted on FB saying the committee will decide tonight if the show will go ahead or not

if they decide tonight how we suppose to know what is happening tomorrow how do we get in touch with committee?

If it's cancelled I'm 100% sure it will be on facebook/twitter and on Champdogs/other forums

but what about people who don't use pcs? I was going to go on sunday to do some shopping but don't think I will now having looked at the photos

Just seen on FB that it is all going ahead.  Rather pleased that we didn't enter!

Marianne, I just have to say what a sensible response!  Showing has always got to retain an element of fun and enjoyment or its time to give it up. 

Looking at the responses on FB/Twitter it seems the poor old committee are damned if they do and damned if they don't. 

We're all adults and have to make our own decisions!

I think it will be cancelled. the ground at our bench was flooded. i' ve just got home and I'm soaked. have 2 dogs entered tomorrow and we won't be there.

The decision will have to be made after they see how bad the ground is .....thousands of cars leaving to churn up the carpark yet.

Marianne, I just have to say what a sensible response!  Showing has always got to retain an element of fun and enjoyment or its time to give it up. 

Thank you. :)

If show does go ahead will there be plans in place to put down straw or other materials with porous propeties, to enable all surface water to be soaked up i think this should be done as a matter of urgenc  after all what do our entry fees and car park charges go towards?

Entry fees goes towards various things!
The fee the KC charge the club which i think is near £1000's plus £2 extra for each entry received, benching, prize cards, the judges, tenting, stewards, rosettes, ring signage, ring exhibitor numbers, cost of the venue if they don't own their own place etc etc etc

i,m sure blackpool show do own the ground

yes they do but costs are still incurred for that

supose so if they keep having to hire tractors to pull cars on and off

OMG! Just seen the pictures on FB, it's BAD!! We're suppose to go on sunday so how bad will it be then! We might have to swim in a ring instead lol. Another 4"'s of rain forecasted for tonight so me thinks we're staying home!

We are still sat on car park bu can I say the man in the green tractor what a dude he has not stopped for a hour while the man with the red tractor is so slow, I will be suprised if tomorrow goes ahead.
On a side note I am so unhappy with the utility judge we were last breed to complete judging we've got soaked etc so my daughter rushed over in the rain to represent our breed he didn't even bother to give a second glance so dissapointing could at least pretend to be interested

Just had a phone call from a friend who was stewarding. The Secretary said that when everyone is off the car park they will be assessing the ground and the tents and then make an announcement. The Secretary said to look on the Dog World site. Hope you get on the move soon Boody

yep some poor folk dont know whether to get on the ferry they have booked or not

Have to say u cdnt ask for more from the organisers today. It was throwing it down and there they were directing people etc. Such a shame but I think the weather will be the same tomorrow and does
not look like it's going to stop.

Blackpool definately cancelled.

just got a message that blackpool has been cancelled they  are asking to pass on this message to as many people as possible this has been confirmed by dog world fb site

Fosse Data Systems Ltd.
OFFICIAL NOTICE: Blackpool Show committee have just announced that the show has been cancelled for the remaining two days due to the adverse weather conditions. They tried to secure another car park across the road but were unable to do so due to a large growing crop not yet harvested.

what a shame for everyone :-(

I would have been entered on the Sunday and have to agree with others, don't think I would have ventured out.

so what will happen now does it get reschelduled or just abandonded altogether, also will people get a refund of there entry fee or not

its a shame  i was looking forward to sunday aswell

From the show schedule RULES and REGULATIONS 38. Cancellation or Abandonment: Entry fees will not be refunded in any circumstances where any act of God or any other unforeseen reason causes the cancellation or abandonment of the Show after entries have closed.

When they had to cancel Blackpool partway through the Sunday when the marquee blew down a few years ago, they did return some of the money to the exhibitors that had not had a chance to go in the ring.

OFFICIAL NOTICE: Blackpool Show committee have just announced that the show has been cancelled for the remaining two days due to the adverse weather conditions. They tried to secure another car park across the road but were unable to do so due to a large growing crop not yet harvested.

As per fosse data

> yep some poor folk dont know whether to get on the ferry they have booked or not

That'll be me, I shall be at the ferry terminal in the morning but I'll be trying to sweet talk the company into letting me change my booking for another show

One of my friends went didn't realise it had been cncd. She said the benching areas were under water.

and no cash back  just gets worse i entered 2 dogs and some folks must have entered more its too much money to lose if you cant get to the show because its canceled
i dont think Blackpool will get a good entry next year as people wont take the risk

I think i still will, in fairness thats the risk you take living in the UK our weather is so unpredictable.
I will however be raising a issue with the comiittee that all through the judging of the Frenchies there was a steward waiting with a walkie talkie to let them know at the big ring they'd finished judging yet they didnt care less that Japs Spitz were next and continued with trhe group regardless and then when my daughter finally got to the group at the end they embarrassed her by saying oh and here is the Jap Spitz LATE to the group :-( being only 16 she was mortified.

Can't they make the ground more suitable to cope with bad conditions? By putting down rubber mats, straw etc.

The car park was apparently far worse than even the standing water and mud within the showground itself.

I think the rain fall levels we have been getting here in the North West is perhaps beyond a bit of matting :)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18561142

Yes i don't even think had they put 40 tonnes of cat litter down was going to absorb the amount of water that fell, i have never known it rain so much without it even stopping once. I got my wellies stuck just going the toilet :-) It took me about 2 hours to get off the car park but being towed backwards rather fast was the highlight of my day lol

Surely money paid out is gone anyway. Might well have been unplaced anyway had show taken place

I was entered but did not go, and must be others in my position so would be unfair to expect money  back, how could the show work out who to refund and who not too, if my entry had been for today. (Hope that makes some sense)  I would much rather that the entry fees were put towards making some big improvements to the field for future events.  Lots of people have been suggesting that the best thing to do is move to Stafford, with indoor facilities, but do we want almost every other show to be at the same venue?  Outdoor shows can be glorious when we do get good weather, and Ok when we have usual weather.  We live in the UK - 4 seasons in 1 day weather can an does happen!  It's just when you get a whole season in 1 day we go under!

> xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">and no cash back  just gets worse i entered 2 dogs and some folks must have entered more its too much money to lose if you cant get to the show because its canceled

I compete in agility and we have had so many shows cancelled this year due to the adverse weather conditions but unfortunately it's just one of those things. Entry fees are cheaper than those in the showing world but by the time you add on camping - which a lot of us have to do if, like myself, most shows are a good 4 hour round trip away and are whole weekend shows-then it is a lot of money to lose but the only thing to blame is the weather.

This year has been particularly bad and the vast majority of shows are outside with no facilities on site to transfer to an inside venue if need be - and the cost of doing so at short notice is usually prohibitive anyway. At one show that I recently booked the weather was awful leading up to the weekend and all the camping areas had to be changed from the grass areas to the internal roads at the showground - impossible if you camp in a tent like me :-)

It hasn't put me off entering shows for the rest of the year though - I just live in hope that we might get some decent weather before the end of the season. I feel really sorry for those who have spent a year organising a show to have to cancel it at the last minute and I am sure the organisers are just as disappointed as those who have entered.

I was entered but did not go, and must be others in my position so would be unfair to expect money  back, how could the show work out who to refund and who not too, if my entry had been for today.

Obviously we don't know yet what the situation will be like, but back in 2008 when the show was cancelled partway through the THIRD day, people DID get refunds in the breeds that had not been judged. See link.
http://www.ourdogs.co.uk/News/2008/Aug2008/News010808/blackpool.htm