As always... welcome to the K9COLA newsletter. Please join us to celebrate dogs and the freedom to run and play off-leash! Thanks to you all for your continued interested in our area's dog parks. 

K9COLA will be walking in the 28th annual Holiday DeLight Parade in downtown Cedar Rapids on Saturday December 3rd at 6:00 pm. Come join us!

We are entry #34, in staging area "D" on the corner of 4th Ave SE & 6th St SE, right across 6th Street from the Copacabana bar. The parade starts promptly at 6:00 pm and we need to be in the staging area by 5:15-5:30 pm.

We are supposed to have a holiday theme and use as many lights as possible. Battery-operated lights can be found at Menard's and Target. The parade organizers also recommend the use of glow sticks for walking entries. Whatever you can think of will be great.

We need as many of you and your dogs as possible to join us and we always need people to hand out candy and carry the banner. The rules state that no person in a group can dress as Santa. The official Santa is at the end of the parade. We know we have one dog coming as Santa but we're sure that will be fine.

If you have questions on the weather that day, you can call the CR Downtown District at 398-0449. If it rains we won't go, otherwise we will be there. Hope to see you all there. Email steve@k9cola.org  with any questions.

Site Coordinator Steve Sandstrom writes, "I drove by the site for the new off-leash dog park this morning. It is taking shape. They have the parking lot area graveled in and the walking trail in what will be the main yard graveled in too. At this point you can get an idea of the shape of the park. I don't know how much work will get done this fall yet, but I hope that maybe they can get the fences in if the weather holds out. (The fencing has been started - editor.) Even if they get the fences in it will be quite awhile before the park is useable. It will all need to be seeded. I think we will have to stay off the turf until it has been mowed 2-3 times so the roots can grow in good. If we get on it too early it will die out and take that much longer for the park to open. Hope that the weather helps us out. It will be another nice place for the dogs when it's open.
 
"If you want to drive out and see the area remember it is not in Squaw Creek County Park. As you turn off Hwy. 100 on Banner Rd. keep going straight past the entrance to Squaw Creek Park. As the road curves to the left you will see the area they have been grading across from the entrance to Gardner Golf Course. You will see the graveled in walking trail. This is where the off-leash park is. If you drive past the entrance to the golf course you will come to where the parking lot will be. This spot gives you a good view of the new park area. They will be improving the road too. If you have any questions email me at steve@k9cola.org."

The picture above gives some idea of construction progress. For more photos, MUCH larger ones, go to the Photos section of our K9COLA Yahoo! group. Here's how to sign up for the free group. They're also pasted on our Facebook page.

Now that the chaos of Black Friday  is over, let's get those calendars out again. There is NO ONE covering trash starting in December. We need some volunteers to step up. We need to keep up with trash so the city doesn't stop building our new park. During the winter, it doesn't matter what days it gets done, as long as we continue to do it on a regular basis. The weeks are listed below. Thank you volunteers!!

Jill (contact me at volunteer@k9cola.org)

December 3/4
December 10/11
December 17/18
December 24/25
December 31/January 1

January 7/8
January 14/15
January 21/22
January 28/29