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Pet Rock Fest Teams Up with Central Mass Pet Pantry for Holiday Pet Supply Drive

Press Release

December, 2024

Pet Rock Fest Teams Up with Central Mass Pet Pantry for Holiday Pet Supply Drive

Local families are in need, especially during the holidays, and family includes pets

SHREWSBURY, MA – This holiday season (and throughout the winter), Pet Rock Fest Inc., a Central Massachusetts nonprofit dedicated to raising funds and awareness for animal welfare, is partnering with the Central Mass Pet Pantry to ensure pets in need are not forgotten.

Together, they are hosting a pet food and supply drive to benefit local families and their furry friends.

Donations of pet food, supplies, and toys can be dropped off at the following locations:

Central Mass Pet Pantry in Shrewsbury (during open hours)
Ellie’s Pet Barn in Holden
Sweet Jane’s Consignment in Worcester
Pet Medic Urgent Care in Westborough
Bri’s Sweet Treats in the Worcester Public Market
Red Light Therapy 4U in Northborough
Kitchen Sink and Candle Co in Sutton

Additionally, the drive offers a Chewy or Amazon wish list for convenient ordering, with items shipped directly to the pantry. Monetary donations are also welcome, with funds supporting both the Central Mass Pet Pantry and Pet Rock Fest’s ongoing mission of animal advocacy. Donations can be made via Paypal or Venmo or through the provided donation link.

The Central Mass Pet Pantry was established to help families struggling to care for their pets by providing essentials like food and supplies. Its mission aligns perfectly with Pet Rock Fest’s commitment to kindness to animals, making this collaboration especially meaningful.

“Every pet deserves love, care, and nourishment, especially during the holidays,” said Charlene Arsenault, founding partner of Pet Rock Fest. “With the support of our community, we can help ensure no pet goes hungry this season.”

About Pet Rock Fest: Pet Rock Fest is a Central Massachusetts nonprofit organization dedicated to animal welfare, raising funds and awareness for various animal-related causes since its inception.

About Central Mass Pet Pantry: Located in Shrewsbury, the Central Mass Pet Pantry supports pet owners facing financial difficulties by providing pet food and supplies, ensuring pets remain in loving homes.

New hours for the pantry are Sundays 10-11 a.m.; Mondays 10-11 a.m. and 4-5 p.m.

Media Contacts:

Andrea Castinetti

508-277-0063

AndreaCastinetti@gmail.com

Charlene Arsenault

508-736-7708

petrockfest@gmail.com

The 27th Annual Pet Rock Festival Returns to Lancaster Fairgrounds on Oct. 5, 2025

PET ROCK FESTIVAL

www.petrockfest.org

Press Release

November, 2024

Contact: Charlene Arsenault RELEASE UPON RECEIPT

508-832-8918, 508-736-77078

petrockfest@gmail.com

Jeannie Hebert

508-981-5782

Jhebert@blackstonevalley.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The 27th Annual Pet Rock Festival Returns to Lancaster Fairgrounds on Oct. 5, 2025

LANCASTER, MA—Pet Rock Fest, Inc. is thrilled to announce the 27th annual Pet Rock Festival, set to take place on Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025, from noon to 5 p.m. at the Lancaster Fairgrounds. Following a successful inaugural year at this spacious, animal-friendly venue, the festival is excited to continue its tradition in its new home.

After an unforgettable 26th Pet Rock Festival last October, which attracted thousands of animal lovers to the fairgrounds, it’s clear that this venue is the ideal fit for the Pet Rock mission. The Lancaster Fairgrounds, known as the “home of the Bolton Fair,” offers ample grassy spaces, shaded picnic areas, pavilions, barns, and even a dog-friendly pond—all perfect for a day of pet-centered fun, community, and animal advocacy.

“After years of searching for the right location, we’re thrilled to bring Pet Rock back to Lancaster,” said Charlene Arsenault, Pet Rock Fest co-founder. “This site provides the space and amenities our festival needs to thrive. We look forward to building on last year’s success and welcoming even more supporters to celebrate and promote kindness to animals.”

Pet Rock Fest is New England’s largest event dedicated to animal welfare, featuring live music, interactive activities, and more than 100 animal welfare organizations. Last year’s festival showcased a Rescue Groups and Shelters Pet Parade, engaging K9 demos, “Pups in the Air” disc dog team, vegetarian food court with local favorites curated by VegFest, pet photo contests, the ever-popular amateur dog contest, giveaways, vendors, guest appearances, speakers and more.

The event, as with the many before it, raised critical funds and awareness for animal nonprofits, helping to support rescues, shelters, and advocacy organizations across the region.

We’re not going anywhere, and consider last year a pivotal year in our mission to help as many animal causes as possible.

The 2025 Pet Rock Festival will feature returning favorites, including the aforementioned attractions and features, live performances by local bands, interactive exhibits by CMDART and the American Red Cross, animal-friendly vendors, kids’ activities, and our much-loved Pet Rock Hero awards.

The Pet Rock Festival’s mission has always been to raise awareness and funds for animal welfare, and the Lancaster Fairgrounds allows for expansion in both programming and reach. This year, Pet Rock Fest will again partner with local nonprofit VegFest for a fully vegetarian food court and continue offering free and low-cost pet services, including microchipping and rabies vaccinations.

“We’re grateful for the support from the Lancaster Fairgrounds and our sponsors, vendors, and volunteers who make Pet Rock Fest possible,” added Jeannie Hebert, Pet Rock Fest founding partner. “Their dedication helps us grow and spread awareness about animal welfare every year.”

Pet Rock Fest gives its proceeds to worthy animal related charities that support a variety of causes, from shelters to law reform to farm animal sanctuaries.

Pet Rock Fest encourages everyone passionate about animal welfare to participate, whether as attendees, volunteers, sponsors, or vendors. Those interested in contributing to the 27th annual Pet Rock Festival should contact petrockfest@gmail.com for more information.

For updates on the plans for the event, groups signed up to attend, and other official or not so official news, visit petrockfest.org or check us out on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/petrockfest, on X (formerly Twitter) @Petrockfestival and Instagram @petrockfest.

Celebrating more than 25 years, Pet Rock Fest is the largest event of its kind in the Northeast, an annual festival that promotes kindness to animals and responsible pet ownership. Pet Rock Fest, held in the fall each year, is a family festival that features guest speakers, vegetarian food, live music, games, events, a raffle, vendors, and hundreds of area animal welfare organizations. Pet Rock is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization. Donations are tax deductible.

If you’d like more information, visit www.petrockfest.org.

26th Annual Pet Rock Festival Recap: A Day for the Books

LANCASTER, MA—On Oct. 6, 2024, the 26th annual Pet Rock Festival officially established its new home at the Lancaster Fairgrounds, and the day was nothing short of perfect (or pretty darned close). Clear skies, crisp autumn air, and an electric energy set the stage for a day filled with animal advocacy, fun, live music, and community.

The Lancaster Fairgrounds, “home of the Bolton Fair,” is a sprawling and picturesque location, ideally enveloping the package Pet Rock Fest wants to deliver. It provides ample space for all our vendors, animal welfare organizations, and attendees to enjoy. The grounds featured grassy open areas, a pond (which became a favorite for dogs), shaded picnic areas, and multiple pavilions. Its size and layout were ideal for accommodating the diverse activities that Pet Rock Festival offers—from K9 demos to the annual Pet Parade.

As always, the festival brought together a wide range of activities and attractions, each focused on promoting kindness to animals. K9 demonstrations, the Fursuiters, author signings, speakers, dog contests, animal hero awards, and interactive activities by CMDART and the American Red Cross were just a few highlights of the day. The disc dog team, Pups in the Air, had the crowd cheering as dogs soared through the air, catching frisbees with impressive precision.

The live music lineup kept the energy high, with performances from local favorites like Office Party Band, Petty Larceny (yes, the Pet Rock pun was real!), Vivi and Da Funk, and the headliner, Ricky Duran. Each band brought their own flair, and the crowd was loving every minute of it. As always, music is a huge part of the festival, and this year’s artists didn’t disappoint.

At the heart of the Pet Rock Festival is our mission to raise awareness for animal welfare, and this year, hundreds of animal organizations and nonprofits participated. From rescues and shelters to advocacy groups, the festival was filled with dedicated organizations working hard to make a difference for animals. The Rescue Groups and Shelters Pet Parade was a heartwarming showcase of the work being done to save and protect animals.

Thanks to all who attended, the festival not only spread awareness but also raised substantial funds to support the animal welfare causes we care so deeply about. With the help of our sponsors, including our Festival Sponsor MA Homes, LLC, and all the vendors and donors, we are making strides to continue this important work.

Congratulations to No Mutts Left Behind and Animal Assisted Therapy Services, who tied to win the shelter and rescue group pet parade. And more congrats to Pug Rescue of New England and Company 2 Heroes, this year’s winners of the Pet Rock Fest lottery. These organizations received $500 each from Pet Rock Fest. Margie Ferriera was happy to win the 50/50 raffle, receiving a check for $315 from Pet Rock Fest.

After this year’s success, we are thrilled to announce that the Lancaster Fairgrounds is officially the new home for the Pet Rock Festival, to be held on Sunday, Oct. 5, from noon to 5 p.m. Its size, accessibility, and beautiful setting are a perfect match for our needs. We’re already looking forward to next year and are confident that Pet Rock Fest will continue to grow and thrive in this amazing venue.

A huge thank you goes out to every single person who helped make the 26th annual Pet Rock Festival a day to remember. Whether you volunteered, performed, exhibited, donated, or simply came out to enjoy the day with your pets, your participation is what makes this festival so special.

Thank you for supporting Pet Rock Festival throughout the year (we raise funds for animals all year long!) and for making a positive impact on animals everywhere! We can't wait to see you again.

If you’d like more information, visit www.petrockfest.org.