Unleash the hounds
By Joey Pitchford
Published in News on February 19, 2018 5:50 AM
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
The trophies for the dog trials sit on display as people purchase plates during the fundraiser. More than 300 contestants entered this year.
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Johnny Garris pays Karen Rouse for his plate at the Albertson Ruritan Club during the annual fox hunt fundraiser to benefit the club, the Volunteer Fire Department and Parks and Recreation.
It has been several decades since the Albertson Fox Hunt involved any actual foxes, but the real reasons for the event -- community, friendly competition and good food -- have never gone away.
The 33rd annual fox hunt took place Saturday, as hundreds of people visited the Albertson Ruritan Community Center to run hunting dogs, eat great food and support their community organizations.
Willie Rouse, treasurer of the Albertson Ruritan Club, said the hunt has been a tradition in the area since the late 1940s. It evolved into its current state, complete with hunting dog field trials, in 1985.
"It's just a good local tradition, the Ruritan Club sponsors it and we also have help from the Albertson Fire Department and the Recreation Center," he said. "We split the money equally between all three of those."
The hunt began bright and early with breakfast at 5 a.m., followed by dog registration at 7 a.m. Rouse said that the hunt included 312 dogs, most of them in packs belonging to individual hunters. Thirty judges stationed throughout the nearby area watched the dogs as they conducted their drills, and judged them on speed and drive, Rouse said.
Once the dogs were done running, it was time to feast. Hundreds of people cycled through the community center to eat. They picked up barbecue, chicken, hushpuppies and more, along with Rouse's famous rockfish stew, of which he made around 30 gallons. As people began to file in around 11 a.m., Rouse said the day was only getting started.
"It's really starting to get going now, we'll be busy like this all day," he said. "We'll probably serve between 800 and 1,000 people today."
Rouse said he was unsure how much money the hunt raised, and wouldn't know until later in the day. Previous years' events have raised around $15,000, split between the three organizations. Regardless, it was a successful day for those in the area.
"We have a big community here, with the post office, the grocer and all that," Rouse said. "People are coming from all around for this."