Windham County Kennel Club
Windham County Kennel Club's first organized meeting was held in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Edward Balek in North Windham on Route 6, in January 1926. This came about out of the dissatisfaction with the space allotted the dogs at the First Annual Windham County Poultry/Pigeon and Small Stock Association show held January 13-16, 1926, in the Willimantic Armory. The group decided to come together to form a club of their own so that they could have a dog show. The Constitution and By-Laws for The Windham County Kennel Club were drawn up at this meeting by nine founding members. Mr. Birch was elected as the first President. He and his wife were Bulldog fanciers and resided in Danielson.
It was decided that the first sanctioned Windham County Match would be held the following year. The funds for this event were raised when one of Mrs. Balek's pans was passed around to all attendees at the meeting. Pockets were emptied and a total of twelve dollars was raised which went towards financing the event. Mrs. Florence Leach Kelly was elected Treasurer and remained in the position until 1929. The first AKC Sanctioned Match was at the Armory in Putnam, Connecticut, on November 12, 1927.
The Second AKS Sanctioned match was held November 17, 1928, in a building behind the Danielson Inn, Connecticut. Later the Elks Club in Willimantic was used for future matches. The Windham County Kennel Club was on its way to become recognized by the American Kennel Club. The first sanctioned point show of the Windham County Kennel Club was held August 12, 1944, at the Brooklyn Fairgrounds with an entry of 268 dogs from all areas of the northeastern seaboard, and an audience of about one-thousand spectators. Mrs. Sherman Hoyt's miniature poodle, Blakeen Invincible, from Stamford, was adjudicated Best in Show.
After using other sites in the county, Windham County Kennel Club has returned to its roots and once again holds the annual spring show at the Brooklyn Fairgrounds. Our fall show is part of the November Thanksgiving Cluster held at the Eastern States Fairgrounds in West Springfield, Massachusetts.
