ROTARY CHICKEN BARBECUE AND FALL FESTIVAL 2011
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noted Optimists Club member Jim
Hutchinswho organizes the event.
“It's really fun and it's one of the
public service events of the club,” he
said.
Requirements for entry into the
event couldn't be much simpler: Show
up with your pet on a leash, in a cage
or otherwise under control. The judges
will award prizes in categories such as
longest tail, shortest tail, most unusual,
best dressed, best tricks, longest ears,
shortest ears and whatever else they
may think of.
“Everybody's a winner and every-
body gets a ribbon as first, second or
participant,”Hutchins said.
As usual, Optimists Club member
Michael Cox will emcee the event as
he’s done formany years.
“It's really fun, to see the kids and
the animals,”Hutchins said. “Many are
repeats fromyear to year andwill have
trained the dog to do something unusu-
al.”
He's been a member of the club for
about 15 years and the motto and mes-
sage of the club still resonates with
him.
“We're the Friend of Youth, that's
ourmotto.We try to do things to benefit
youth programs in the community.
We've supported and donated to the
Plymouth Youth Symphony, the
Friends of the Penn, the Miracle
League of Plymouth, the Historical
Museum. The club raises money and
donates to youthprograms,” he said.
The 24-member club is always seek-
ing new members, he said. They meet
for dinner at 6:30 p.m. the first and
third Monday of the month at Station
885 inOldVillage.
The most unusual pet Hutchins has
seen, he said, has to be the tarantula or
maybe the iguana entered one year.
“It's always fun to see the kids with
the animals. We always enjoy it and I
think they do, too.”
For more information about the
Optimists Club of Plymouth, contact
Hutchins at (734) 748-8310.