SPPD K9 Spaghetti Dinner: Tickets available for doggone good time
April 19, 2013
By Peggy Kelly
Santa Paula City Council
The City Council and staff were invited to come and have a doggone good time at the 4th Annual K9 Spaghetti Dinner, to be held April 24, starting at 5:30 p.m. at the Community Center.
Dinner Chairwoman Debbie Johnson addressed the council at the April 15 meeting, noting, “Most of you have attended the dinner before and you know what a great evening it is, as well as an opportunity to support our dogs.” The Santa Paula Police & Fire Foundation, of which Johnson is treasurer, stages the dinner each year.
She said the main goal of the event is to “maintain our funding” that provides the crime-fighting dogs to the Santa Paula Police Department, as well as help fulfill dog training needs. “When it’s time to replace a dog,” the K9 Spaghetti Dinner ensures “we’ll have the resources... the foundation supports the dogs because they are very important for the community and the Santa Paula Police Department.”
Johnson said the evening is more than dinner: “All three dogs, Chevy, Hozy and Zak will be there and put on a demonstration after dinner.... We’ll eat, do some fun presentations and then have the K9 demonstration outside,” the latter a highly popular show for adults and children.
Chevy rides with Senior Officer Scott Varner, Hozy is partnered with Officer Randy Haumann, and Zak rides along with Senior Officer Larry Johnson. McGruff the Crime Fighting Dog is also expected to attend the dinner; attendees are urged to bring their cameras for photos with McGruff, the officers and K9s.
K9s are a vital contribution to the crime-fighting community, where their presence alone has been known to stop criminals in their tracks. Not only can K9s be trained to serve as specialized Smell-O-Meters, detecting everything from explosives and narcotics to weapons and even destructive pests, but the dogs are also an invaluable public relations tool enjoyed by adults and children alike.
“Dine-in will be from 5:30 to 7 p.m., we’ll have the raffle and then see the demonstration outside.... Everyone should be out of there and home by 7:45,” noted Johnson.
Tickets are only $15 each for the dinner, which includes spaghetti and meatballs, salad, garlic bread and a dessert; child plates for 12 years and younger are only $5 each, dine-in only. Take-outs are readily available - just follow the signs at the Community Center and you won’t even have to get out of your car! Remember though: only the $15 adult plates are sold for take-out, no child plates.
Tickets are available at the Santa Paula Times, 120 Davis St., and the Santa Paula Police Station, 214 S. 10th Street.
