‘Paws at the Parkside’ to benefit Sable Kennel

A cornhole tournament at Rich’s Parkside Den in Boston will raise money for the McKeesport-based kennel.

A cornhole tournament will be held this weekend at a popular business along the Boston Trailhead in Elizabeth Township to benefit a local animal shelter.

On Saturday, Rich’s Parkside Den, located at 1907 Donner St., is hosting “Paws at the Parkside,” a full day of fun benefiting Sable Kennel.

The event will feature cornhole, raffles, food, drinks, games and visitors can meet adoptable animals from the shelter based in McKeesport. All proceeds will go to the kennel to fund its daily operations.

According to event organizer Nick Algeri, who serves as president of operations at the Parkside Den, owned by his father Rich, they often host cornhole tournaments during the month, in addition to their regular cornhole league.

“We’re just trying to think of as many ideas to raise money for them,” Nick Algeri said. “We’ve done a few benefits down here, and this is going to be one of my favorites I think because of what it’s going toward. We are definitely excited for it.” In the past, Rich’s has hosted successful fundraisers for police departments, the Elizabeth Forward and South Allegheny High School bands and others.

The fundraiser for Sable is also personal for the Algeri family, as Nick’s grandmother Rosie recently adopted a senior dog from Sable. Sable gave them a starter kit for the dog, including a full bag of food, a collar, a leash and a bag of toys.

“My grandma was pretty lonely, and so we were looking to get a dog,” Algeri said. “We reached out to a couple different shelters. When we went to pick up the dog, (Sable) had mentioned being a part of some sort of benefit and asked if we wanted to get involved. We weren’t able to get involved in that one, so we were looking to do a cornhole event.”

Sable Kennel owner and animal control officer Dawn Weichler said they were excited to do a fundraiser because anything that can be done for the animals is greatly appreciated.

Weichler said anytime she can promote the work of their animal shelter and have a chance to get their dogs adopted is something she is very grateful for.

The fundraiser will feature two cornhole tournaments, one blind draw and one bring your own partner. Both tournaments have prizes for the top teams, and signups are on Saturday.

The blind draw tournament is $20 per player with random partners and 36-player maximum with a double elimination.

The bring your own partner tournament is $40 per person, and 36-player maximum with a double elimination. The blind draw signup is at noon with the tournament starting at 1 p.m., and the bring your own partner tournament’s signup is at 3 p.m. with the tournament at 4 p.m.

“I figured this time we can do two tournaments so we can get everybody involved,” Algeri said.

Along with the tournaments, there will be adoptable dogs from the kennel, raffle baskets, food/drink specials, side games and challenges. Algeri said the event is open to nonplayers, too, as there will be plenty to do for everyone and they will still be supporting the fundraiser.

According to Weichler, they will have about five dogs at a time at the event, taking turns with the dogs throughout the day.

Algeri said he hopes the fundraiser can help the often full-capacity kennel, as the costs of veterinary care for the animals, food and supplies.

“That money has got to be coming from somewhere,” Algeri said. “It’s almost a no-brainer to try to get them some funding back because they are all volunteers down there, and they have a lot of cool dogs that need to be adopted. We really want to get some acknowledgement for them because they are all wonderful people. Everyone that works there is super kind, and it takes a lot of patience.”

Weichler said the kennel receives a small amount of funding from the communities it contracts with, which she says helps pay to keep the lights on, keeps the staff at the location, the mortgage on the building and more. Veterinary bills are covered through the nonprofit they established, which has a special account for emergency resources.

“We’re all very much looking forward to (the event),” Weichler said. “We’re excited about going, and just spending time with the dogs.”