Spring Fling 2023 Wrap

We can't believe that Spring Fling 2023 has come to a close. It was a fun journey and although the weather was definitely not ideal, we had a fun event too! We are so grateful to everyone that braved the cold rain with us! We are grateful for everyone that came out with or without their pooch (& ferret), that supported us and the rescues and the vendors and the food trucks and our sponsors and to everyone that participated in the soggy Easter Egg Hunt.

We are also grateful to everyone that donated to the Easter Egg Hunt online that may not have gotten to participate this year. We are so appreciative of everyone that purchased t-shirts and raffle tickets and Easter Eggs. 100% of the funds from these will be divided up and sent directly to the animal welfare non-profits/rescue organizations. We are so grateful that 19 non-profit groups came out and enjoyed the event with us. Each of these groups will be receiving a check this week thanks again to everyone that donated! The total cash that you raised for these very special groups comes to $9,017 and every penny will be appreciated. These groups have also been picking up physical donations and we will post pictures of this soon on our Facebook page!

Here are the groups that you helped support:

4 Directions Rescue

American Brittany Rescue

Canine Community Outreach of NC

Charlie Mike

Facilitate Rescue

Freedom German Shepherd Rescue

H.E.A.R.T.

Lab Rescue LRCP

Lending Paws a Hand

Love Mutts Rescue

Mia's Mafia

Pawsitively Pugs Rescue

Pet Pals NC

Puffie's Pawz Rescue

Spirit Canine Rescue

The Goathouse Refuge

Vets to Vets United

Wake County Animal Center

Thank you also for voting in our online rescue photo contest. Beautiful Together Rescue Group won 500 lbs of VICTOR pet food from our sponsor.

We are so thankful for all of our sponsors,

especially so many that came out to the event and gave out samples and answered questions.

THANK YOU to our Presenting Sponsors: Nature's Logic pet food, and VICTOR pet food, both available at Unleashed!

THANK YOU to our Tote Bag Sponsors: Pet Releaf, Stella & Chewy's, Small Batch, Open Farm, Fromm, Instinct, Steve's Real Food (also all available at Unleashed!)

THANK YOU to our Fun Sponsor: First Bank

THANK YOU to our T-Shirt Sponsors: All Dogs Allowed, Austin & Kat, Dirty Dogs Spa, Injoya, Mosa Pet Spa Resort, Pet Butler Cary, Stella & Chewy's, Himal Dog Treat, Canine Caviar, Aroma Paws, Ezy Dog & Veronica's Doggie Delights

THANK YOU to all of our Prize and Raffle Sponsors: Fluff & Tuff, Mountain Dog, Lupine, Ultra Oil, 2 Hounds, Adored Beast, Austin & Kat, Dezi & Roo, Earth Rated, From the Field, Einstein's, Front Porch Pets, Go Cat, Hugsmart, Injoya, Multipet, Natural Dog, Ndependent, Nordic Naturals, Pet Adventure Worldwide, Petsafe, Plato, Primal, Shepherd Boy, Vital Essentials, Koha, Dog Treat Naturals, Koka Booth Amphitheatre, many of our vendors & rescues, & More (also find these great products at Unleashed!)

We are so delighted that so many vendors braved the rain with us to bring you great food, great products, great samples, and more!

THANK YOU, Food Trucks: Will & Pops, Mr. Cheesesteak, Party in a Pita, & Koka Booth Concessions

THANK YOU, Sponsor Vendors: Nature's Logic Pet Food, VICTOR Pet Food, Austin & Kat, Injoya, Pet Releaf, Plato, NDependent, Stella & Chewy's

THANK YOU, Local Vendors: All Dogs Allowed, Emily Petrilla Illustrations, Five Freedoms Photography, Furever Amigos, LHomemade Crafts, Mobile Paw Clips, My Buddy Bandanas, Paws Fur Joy Photography, Pet Butler, PetSound Daycare and Boarding, Red Dog Bakery, The Dabba Company, The Sassy Daisy, Triangle Treat Co, & Veronica's Doggie Delights

THANK YOU, musicians, for keeping the good vibes and playing through with cold hands: Steve Hobbs Quartet, featuring Steve Hobbs and Bill Easley AND The Whiskey Rebellion

THANK YOU also to all of the wonderful Unleashed employees who put many hours into this event. Every Unleashed employee deserves a thank you, especially those that worked all day in the cold rain. There were some pretty cold hands and feet at the end of the day, and we couldn't have done it without you, so thank you all for being such good sports and not giving up on us. An extra thank you also to everyone that pitched in at the warehouse doing all of the behind-the-scenes stuff like stuffing and sealing 6,000 eggs with prize slips (also printing and laminating these,) printing labels and stuffing badges (shout-out Jane,) securing prizes for the Egg Hunt (shout-out Julia, Lexy, & John), making all of the raffle baskets (shout-out Lexy), filling 600 tote bags for the Easter Egg Hunt, organizing all of the physical donations and loading them into the trucks of the receiving groups (shout-out Josh and team), and so much more. An extra THANK YOU to John for getting all of the major sponsors. And an extra THANK YOU to Lexy for being involved in all of these, plus blogging, newsletters, social media, and so much more! And, on the personal side, a shout-out to the grandparents for watching the kiddos extra while we put in many extra hours :).

Our hands were cold, but are hearts remained warm and we are grateful for an incredibly supportive community that didn't let the weather ruin our event. We will get planning next year's Spring Fling very soon and will be hoping that the weather turns out better so that we can raise even more for the rescue groups and see even more dogs (and other pets too!)

If you attended this year and would like to provide feedback, please use this form: https://forms.gle/5D4TWRVk4LAjW4Ro9

If you have pictures, please tag us #UnleashedSpringFling or email Lexy@unleashedmutt.com.

We are so grateful to so many, whether mentioned here or not, we appreciate you. If you read this, we appreciate you! If you support us or any of our sponsors, thank you. If you support Spring Fling in any way, thank you. Thank you again everyone and stay tuned for upcoming announcements about Spring Fling 2024!

Amy (& JP) Phinney,

owner/founder of Unleashed, the Dog & Cat Store

www.unleashedmutt.com

promoter/founder of Unleashed's Spring Fling Dog & Cat Fundraiser

www.K9SpringFling.com

2023 Spring Fling Entertainment: The Whiskey Rebellion

Listen Live from 2 pm - 6 pm

Get ready to have lots of fun with our next line up, The Whiskey Rebellion, taking the stage from 2 - 6 pm!

Their skillful and expert three-part harmonies are just part of what you can expect from the Whiskey Rebellion, who have been playing their brand of high-energy acoustic music across the Southeast (and as far west as the Pacific Ocean) for the last eight years. The band has recorded two regionally-acclaimed original albums, shared the stage with the Sam Bush Band and Carolina Chocolate Drops, and had their 2011 tour of the Pacific Northwest captured by filmmaker Tony Morin for a forthcoming concert film & documentary.

Drawing on their diverse musical backgrounds, The Whiskey Rebellion mix the spontaneity of bluegrass, the collectiveness of jazz, and the urgency of rock and roll to create their own unique take on everything from traditional bluegrass to anthemic party favorites. The band covers a wide array of artists ranging from The Beatles to The Talking Heads to Guns 'n' Roses, but their approach is always steeped in their acoustic roots and uniquely lends itself to being both listenable and danceable.

Having such talented musicians at Spring Fling is an incredible addition to the festivities of 2023!

2023 Spring Fling Entertainment: Steve Hobbs Quintet featuring Bill Easley!

Listen Live from 12 pm - 2 pm

We are excited to introduce you to the musical talents for this year!

First up, taking the Stage from 12-2pm, we are thrilled to have the Steve Hobbs Quintet featuring Bill Easley!

Steve Hobbs, a huge animal supporter , has always been a part of Spring Fling. With the new venue, he will be back with a bigger band than ever before. This year, we can't wait to enjoy live music performed by the Steve Hobbs Quintet featuring Bill Easley!

Steve Hobbs is a celebrated jazz musician whose love of music started at the age of 7. Hobbs received his Bachelor of Music in Percussion Performance from Berklee College of Music in 1978 and a Master of Music in Jazz Mallet Performance from the University of Miami in 1982. He has toured with multiple bands and groups like the Art Van Damme Quintet, pop group, Janice, and Jum200pin’ Johnny. He was even featured on American Bandstand in 1980! He has released multiple albums and compilations, like Steve Hobbs’ “Tribute to Bobby” and Steve Hobbs Quartet Vibes, Straight Up. Having such a celebrated musician at Spring Fling is an incredible addition to the festivities!

Learn more on Steve Hobbs' website and Facebook!

Bill Easley has had a diversified career as a professional musician. He joined the

musicians union, Local 115 in 1959. Bill represents the fourth generation of a family dedicated to music. Easley had traveling and recording experiences with such notables as: George Benson, Ruth Brown, Isaac Hayes, Jimmy Smith, Jimmy McGriff, Bobby Short, Louie Bellson, Wynton Marsalis, Nicholas Payton, Charles McPherson, James Williams, Sir Roland Hanna, Earl May, Illinois Jacquett, Ron Carter, Frank Foster, Mercer Ellington, Warren Vache, Panama Francis, Grady Tate and many more. In addition to his extensive discography as a sideman, he also has seven recordings as a leader: Wind Inventions, First Call, Easley Said, Business Man's Bounce, Hearing Voices, Love Stories, and Diversitonic. His arsenal of woodwind instruments includes: Tenor, Alto and Soprano Saxophones, Clarinet and Bass Clarinet, Flute and Alto Flute and piccolo.

Bill was a part of the Jazz Repertory Movement, playing in The American Jazz Orchestra (John Lewis); The Smithsonian Jazz Orchestra (David Baker); and The Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra (Wynton Marsalis), and twice with The Carnegie Hall Jazz Orchestra (Jon Faddis).

Learn more on Bill Easley's website!