Free Owney family outingoffered
Nearly a century after riding the rails and protecting the mail, the canine mascot that provided good luck to clerks of the Railway Mail Service today returns to life in the form of 60 million Owney the Postal Dog Forever stamps.
To help commemorate Owney (as well as all other pets) and National Stamp Collecting Month, the Postal Service will hold a free Owney Family Outing program on Saturday, October 15, between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. at The Shell Factory, North Fort Myers.
Information about Owney can be found by going to postalmuseum.si.edu/Owney. You can also stay in touch with Owney news and ask Owney questions at Facebook.com/Owney or Twitter.com/OwneytheDog.
In advance of the October 15 program, children in Lee County have an opportunity to enter both a writing and a photo contest.
Writing Contest
The writing contest is in the form of a letter to Owney stating why their pet is lucky or special, or telling about a trip the child and the pet have taken.
Judging will be in two age groups -6-8 and 9-12; those in the 6-8 age group are limited to 200 words; those in the 9-12 age group are limited to 500 words.
Letters are to be addressed to Owney; proper letter writing technique will be evaluated. Children are also asked to place their letter in an envelope or pretend envelope by folding the paper three times. The envelope should be addressed to OWNEY LETTERS, C/O DEBRA MITCHELL, 79 MID CAPE TER, CAPE CORAL, FL 33991. Placement of a stamp should be indicated.
Handwritten letters are preferred.
The back of the letter must indicate the child s name, age of child, name of school attending (or home schooling), name of teacher, and teacher s phone number.
Entries must be received by Friday, October 7. They are to be sent to Owney Letters, c/o Debra Mitchell, 79 Mid Cape Ter, Cape Coral, FL 33991.
The entries will be judged by members of the USPS Consumer Advisory Council. Teachers of finalists will be notified by phone. Final voting for the winners will be at the October 15 event by attendees. Trophies/ribbons will be awarded in each age group.
Photo Contest
Submit a digital photo of your Owney look alike or your adventurous pet to debra.j.mitchell@usps.gov or mail to Owney Photo Contest, 79 Mid Cape Ter, Cape Coral, Fl 33991.
Entries must contain complete identification for notification of finalists, which will be voted on during the October 15 event. Entries must be received by October 7. Winners will receive a sheet of stamps featuring their pet’s photo.
Owney Family Outing
Free events during the October 15 program between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. include learning how to take canceled stamps off envelopes to start a stamp collection hobby, balloon animals and skits by Caloosa Clowns, face painting, creating a pet placement and laminating it, and an Owney online coloring activity. Each child attending will receive a collectible envelope with the Owney stamp image. 50-cent kiddie ice cream cones will be available from Rosie s Fudge Kitchen.
Free events from 1:00-2:00 include agility demonstrations by dog clubs in Doggie Heaven, sack races, adoptable pets available from Lee County Animal Services and announcement of the writing and photo contest winners.
Additional information about the Owney Family Outing can be obtained by contacting Debi Mitchell at debra.j.mitchell@usps.com.