Atlantic City Weekly

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Last February, Showboat Atlantic City introduced its unique Pet Stay program, offering a welcome mat to canines of all kinds to special rooms in the property’s New Orleans Tower. As Atlantic City’s only pet-friendly casino hotel, Showboat is celebrating the one-year mark of the puppy program with an America’s Next Top Dog Model contest. They’re looking for a dog “with the looks and charisma” to be the next face of Pet Stay and from Jan. 9-31, interested dog owners will be able to upload pictures of their pups to Showboat’s Facebook page (all photos must be sent in .jpg format with a maximum of 5 MB per pic). From Jan. 31 to Feb. 13 fans will get to vote “on which dog has the most star power.” Then the top 10 dogs with the most votes will be chosen to compete in Showboat’s “Best in Show” competition, slated for Saturday, March 3, inside the Club Harlem Ballroom.

“Showboat has carved out a niche in the region by offering to host our customers in the hotel along with their extended family —  their pets,” says Mark Tricano, assistant GM for Showboat Atlantic City. 

“Pet Stay has been overwhelmingly well-received by our customers and with this Facebook promotion, our ‘fans’ can also take part in this unique experience. Our team is eager to employ this spokes-dog and we look forward to seeing everyone’s creativity come to life.” While fans are encouraged to upload photos of their dogs wearing “cute costumes” or “engaging in interesting activities,” Tricano warns that the usual-suspect pics will not suffice. “We want fans to really get creative, so dogs playing poker just won’t cut it, we’re looking for a pup that screams star,” adds Tricano. Owners are encouraged to put up several pictures to showcase their dog’s true talent, as the entries are limitless. (NOTE: All participating dogs must be under 50 pounds to enter.)

The owners of the six finalist dogs will receive a two-night stay at Showboat to compete in the “Best in Show” competition, complimentary breakfast at the Mansion Café and $100 food credit for Scarduzio’s Steak | Sushi | Lounge. The owner of the dog chosen as the Next Top Dog Model will receive a grand prize package that “will be sure to make those tails start wagging.”

Three judges will determine the “Best in Show” at the event at Showboat on March 3 and you can be one of them! Interested judges (21 and over) can leave a comment below explaining why you feel you are qualified to be one of the judges. Include your correct name and e-mail address to have a chance to win. The ACWeekly.com contest runs through Feb. 13. You can also e-mail editor@acweekly.com to enter.

The Pet Stay program originally launched on Feb. 24, 2011, making Showboat Atlantic City’s first and still only pet-friendly casino hotel. Pet Stay rooms are available in Showboat’s New Orleans Tower and "are set to accommodate all kinds of canines."

The special Pet Stay package includes in-room gift amenities (treats, food and water bowls, disposable waste bags and a keepsake duffle bag) and is open to dogs only, A maximum of two dogs (up to 50 pounds) per room is allowed. A $50 fee per night for pets applies, and dogs are allowed in the hotel but not "on the casino floor or in food and beverage areas, the spa or retail shops."
For bookings and additional information, visit Showboat's Pet Stay page at showboatac.com. 

— JS


Winter Writers Getaway at Stockton


The January chill can weigh a little on local residents used to beaches and outdoor activities, so that may make it the perfect time to explore the inner romance of the soul. That’s a high falutin’ way of saying it’s a good time to find the poet inside yourself or maybe even start that novel. Towards that end the Richard Stockton College of New Jersey has partnered with Murphy Writing Seminars to present the 19th Annual Winter Poetry and Prose Getaway to take place at the historic Seaview Resort, Jan. 13-16. The writing conference usually attracts more than 200 writers and offers workshops in “Beginning Your Novel,” “Creative Nonfiction,” “Children’s Market,” “Poetry,” “Memoir,” “Song Writing” and more, which just about covers every aspect of being a writer. Among the faculty on hand will be Pulitzer Prize winner Stephen Dunn, who will also be the subject of a “Manuscript Retrospective Exhibit” which will open during the conference at the Noyes Museum’s Gallery at Seaview. The Getaway will also feature two exciting book launches: Falling Backwards into the World, a limited edition chapbook of Dunn’s poems, and Challenges for the Delusional, a selection of writing prompts from the first 18 years of the Getaway and an anthology of the published poems they have inspired. “[We] work hard to create an ego-free environment which permits writers, beginning and advanced, to take risks without worrying about impressing others or competing,“ says Peter Murphy, conference director. “I find participants do their best writing when the workshops are both challenging and supportive. Many return year after year.” For more information visit wintergetaway.com. — Mike Pritchard


‘...i listen to the wind that obliterates my traces’ (Dust-to-Digital)
 Compiled by Steve Roden


Subtitled “music in vernacular photographs 1880-1955,” this extraordinary offering from the Grammy-Award-winning label Dust to Digital, comes in a hardcover book format, with two CDs bookending the wonderous contents within. Culled from the collection of acclaimed visual and sound artist Steve Roden, 150 “vernacular photos” relating to different facets of early American music — from Ozark string bands and other Appalachian artists to early blues and even the sound of the wind circa 1935 — are presented. We are given little subtext, little context, but the powerful images that accompany the two discs (all tracks are from Roden’s collection of old 78s and other formats of early recordings) tell a ghost story of American music. From the innocent to the strange to the downright spooky, the pictures are each worth an infinite amount of words, and the 51 tracks (some field recordings and sound affects, but mostly old-time songs, including many from the 1920s and as far back as 1914) recall the great Harry Smith anthologies of American folk music. The best holiday gift I received, hands down. This is the stuff that dreams are made of. — Jeff Schwachter


DREWTOONZ