PVIWC Education and Programs
The Potomac Valley Irish Wolfhound Club is actively involved in educating new and prospective members on the myriad aspects of living with an Irish Wolfhound. We participate in cultural, ethnic, neighborhood, and dog-oriented festivals, fairs, fun days and events with our dogs. We also offer educational programs for schools and other organizations.
One of our members’ favorite activities is attending festivals and fairs with hounds in tow. Whether it be a
local “fun show” or a large cultural festival, members of PVIWC can be found with their dogs, spreading knowledge
and dog hair in Maryland, Virginia, DC and surrounding areas! We have participated in the
Washington Irish Folk Festival, the Anne Arundel County Scottish Festival as part of their “dogs of the islands” exhibit
(where we were the only non-Scottish breed), the Adams County Pennsylvania Irish Festival, the Highland Games,
Mid-Atlantic Great Dane Rescue’s Parade of Paws, the Maryland Irish Festival, and the Pet Expo at the Maryland
state fairgrounds, among other events.
As custodians of a historical treasure in living form, members are often asked to attend meetings of other organizations,
such as the Ancient Order of Hibernians, The Historic Annapolis Foundation and the Boy Scouts of America. At these events,
we teach about the history and purpose of the Irish wolfhound, as well as giving people a rare
opportunity for up-close and personal encounters with one of the oldest, and the tallest, breeds of dogs in the world!
PVIWC also offers educational programs, usually wolfhound-specific, at many of our club meetings. The public is always
welcome at these meetings,
and they can be a good start to becoming an educated IW owner. Such programs have included an in-depth examination of
the IW standard of excellence, a look at AKC’s newest dog sport, Rally, and a video of a European dog show.
If you are interested in learning more about IWs, or having club members speak at your club, please contact our
Education Chair at
to arrange it.
Annual Event Calendar (for PVIWC meeting events see the Meetings page)
Events in boldface are official PVIWC events. Members are encouraged to attend all events. Anyone who would like cards, handouts, flyers or other information to take to festivals please let our know!
| Month | Day(s) | Event | Info Link(s) |
| January | 3rd weekend | Pet Expo - Timonium Fairgrounds | |
| March | 1st Saturday of the month | St. Patrick's Day parade - Alexandria |
PVIWC parade info www.ballyshaners.org |
| 2nd Saturday | St. Patrick's Day parades - Gaithersburg, Manassas | PVIWC Gaithersburg parade info PVIWC Manassas parade info www.gaithersburgmd.gov/stpatricksparade www.stpatparade.org |
|
| Sunday before St Patrick’s Day. | St. Patrick's Day parades - DC, Baltimore | PVIWC DC parade info PVIWC Baltimore parade info www.dcstpatsparade.com www.irishparade.net |
|
| Saturday after St Patrick’s Day. | St. Patrick's Day parade - Harrisburg | PVIWC Harrisburg parade info | |
| March/April | 13th weekend of the year | PVIWC Specialty Show | PVIWC show info |
| April | last Saturday | Southern MD Celtic Festival- Prince Frederick MD | http://www.cssm.org/festival |
| May | 1st Saturday | Frederick Celtic festival | http://www.sasmm.com/celtic_festival.htm |
| June | 2nd weekend | Potomac Celtic Festival – Leesburg | http://www.potomaccelticfest.org/default.html |
| 3rd Sunday | Maryland Ave (Annapolis) Irish festival | http://www.marylandave.com/events.cfm | |
| 1st weekend | McHenry Highland Games - Garret County, MD | http://www.highlandfest.info/ | |
| July | 18th | Adams County Irish Festival, Gettysburg, PA | http://www.adamscountyirishfestival.com/ |
| September | 1st Saturday | Virginia Scottish Games - Alexandria VA | www.vascottishgames.org |
| mid month | Irish festival in Baltimore - Canton | www.baltimoreirishfest.com | |
| 27th | Fun Match at the Bay Ridge Marina in Annapolis | PVIWC Fun Match info | |
| October | 2nd Saturday | Anne Arundel County Highland Games | www.aasfi-md.org |
| last Saturday | Bark-n-Bash - Quiet Waters Park | http://www.barkinbash.com/reg/ | |
| 1st Saturday | Williamsburg Highland festival | www.wsfonline.com | |
| 4th weekend | Richmond Highland Games | www.richmondceltic.com | |
| November | 2nd weekend | MD Irish Festival- Timonium | www.irishfestival.com |
| December | Delmar, MD Christmas parade | ||
| around the 6th | Scottish Walk - Alexandria VA | www.scottishchristmaswalk.com | |
| second Sunday | holiday party at the Van de Kamps' |
*Please remember that whether you are attending an official PVIWC event or not, you are representing our breed. Keep your hound’s safety foremost, and clean up after your dog. Many events do not have running water- please bring sufficient water for your dog.
Educational Programs for Club Members
PVIWC sponsors educational presentations for club members, often in conjunction with meetings. The meeting notice sent out prior to each meeting will note if we are having an educational presentation.
In January of 2008 PVIWC was lucky enough to host a presentation from Dr. Silvan Urfer, who wrote his Ph.D. dissertation on longevity in Irish Wolfhounds. For those who missed it:
(click on a thumbnail to see the corresponding picture fullsize)