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Dog show boost to economy

• Gates open at 7 a.m. today for this weekend's coonhound show.

Joshua Brown

ALBANY — This weekend’s coonhound hunting event at the Exchange Club Fairgrounds, which officially kicks off today, could bring as many as 10,000 visitors to the city and big bucks to the economy, officials said Thursday.

Albany Area Chamber of Commerce President Tim Martin said the event would bring several hundred thousand dollars to the Albany economy over the weekend, though he didn’t have more specific estimates.

But just as important as the direct impact of bringing in tourists, the event would have a “residual effect” in that it can remind coon hunters year-round that Albany is a good hunting spot, he said.

“Premiere events bring you notoriety,” he said. “They give you attention, they keep you on the calendar for the avid sportsman.

“It just keeps Albany on their mind at these kinds of events. So you have the immediate economic impact but you have the long-term residual impact (also).”

United Kennel Club Media Vice President Tanya Raab said the event is one of its “top five” largest annual events. The organization licenses about 13,000 club events yearly, though only about ten of those are organized directly by representatives from UKC, she said.

The weekend’s first show will begin just after 9 a.m. today at the fairgrounds, Raab said. A night hunt, which does not involve firearms and does not take game, will be held Saturday night.

During the hunt, coonhounds will be sent out to find raccoon trails, for which the dogs are awarded points, Raab explained. Dogs who follow a trail to a coon are awarded extra points while dogs that find trails that do not lead to coons are penalized, she said.

“They’re given strike points for opening up on the trail and tree points if they actually get to the tree and there is a raccoon there,” she said.

The hunt has 740 enlisted competitors, she said Thursday. An awards ceremony will be held at 2 p.m. today naming the Purina Outstanding Coonhound of the Year.

Gates open at 7 a.m. today and Saturday and the event is free for the public.

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