SALEM 'Critter party' will aid shelter
The Humane Society hopes work on a new shelter can start in the spring.
By NORMAN LEIGH
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
SALEM -- An area humane society has a spot picked out for the new shelter it wants to build. Now it needs money to fund the project.
To help accomplish that aim, Salem Humane Society Inc. is hosting Beverly Hillbillies Critter Party next month.
The event will feature Donna Douglas, the actress who portrayed Ellie May Clampett on the popular 1960s television show, which is still regularly televised in syndication.
The character of Ellie May was known for her love of animals, which often occupied the Clampetts' Beverly Hills mansion. Douglas is an animal lover in real life.
When, where
The event is set for 6:30 p.m. to midnight Oct. 5 at the Salem Saxon Club on state Route 9, south of Salem.
Those attending are invited to dress in costumes depicting a Beverly Hillbillies' theme.
Entertainment will include a costume contest, music, barbecue and hay rides. A silent auction will also be held.
Tickets cost $25 per person and can be bought at F.E's News and Gene's Drive-Thru, both on East State Street in Salem.
Tickets also will be available at the door or by calling the Humane Society at (330) 332-2600.
Pete Johnson, humane society president, said Friday that the agency hopes to start construction in the spring on a 10,000-square-foot shelter.
The society is without a shelter to house homeless, neglected and abandoned dogs and cats.
Shelter closed
Columbiana County has been without an animal shelter since December 2001, when the facility at that time was ordered closed partly as a result of repeated complaints from neighbors about animal noise.
That shelter, along U.S. Route 62 in Perry Township, was run by a different but similarly named group.
A spot for a new shelter has been chosen on a nearly 23-acre plot in Salem Township, south of Salem.
Johnson said homes are in the vicinity of the shelter site, but homeowners won't be able to hear or see it, Johnson said.
The agency is not specifically identifying the location until the deal is finalized, Johnson said.
Cost of the new shelter is expected to be between $300,000 and $500,000.
The agency plans to pay for half the undertaking with money from a trust fund created to benefit animals. The rest will come from fund-raisers and donations, Johnson explained.