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Writer's pictureDenise Hue

The Chickadee Classic - An Overview

Updated: Mar 6, 2018

Penobscot Valley Kennel Club is considered an affiliate club of The AKC that is allowed to apply to The AKC annually for permission to hold an all-breed conformation show at which championship points may be awarded, along with any other events such as Obedience, Rally, and Junior Showmanship. The AKC specially licenses PVKC to give the specific show designated in its application.


Much effort goes into scheduling a point show. Judges must be contracted; and an application, along with the judging panel, must be filed and approved by The AKC.

PVKC has a contract with a show superintendent that has a license with The AKC. The superintendent is responsible for having on hand all equipment required for the events, the various AKC official forms including premium lists, show catalogs, and all ribbons and rosettes. The show superintendent records the results for all events and submits the results to The AKC for recording.


We are required to have the following committees: Event Committee, Catalog Advertising, Trophies, Grounds, Hospitality, Ring Hospitality, Judges’ Transportation and RV Reservations & Parking. Many times club volunteers can be found “wearing several hats” during the run of the show.


PVKC offers raffles in order to support its programs and to help fund the dog food pantry, an initiative to distribute prepackaged dog food to food pantries in several communities.

In addition to holding titled dog events, other certifications, seminars, and demonstrations are provided each year. These activities are printed in the premium list.


Since 2011, PVKC has hosted the Lewiston-Auburn Kennel Club (LAKC) to hold a four-day point show known as The Chickadee Classic, at the Cumberland Fairgrounds in Cumberland, Maine – about 8 miles north of Portland. In addition, we are pleased to have hosted the Central Maine Brittany Club (CMBC) specialty show on Saturdays with CMBC providing a supported entry on Sundays.  


The show runs Thursday through Sunday and is scheduled for the 25th week per The AKC event schedule.  Our collaborative relationship has been one of respect for each other and shared responsibilities thus ensuring a smoothly-run event. 


The Chickadee Classic is located in the country and provides a laid-back, pleasant, fun-filled experience for exhibitors, judges, handlers, dogs, and spectators. The show grounds consist of 86 acres. It is fenced in for safety, and exhibitors are encouraged to enjoy the scattered picnic tables around the grounds to get to know each other.


We look forward to having you as our guests and hope you enjoy our shows and our beautiful State of Maine.


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