We arrive at the location of the next Hungarian exhibition in our illustrated series introducing the world of exhibitions. We are in the northern part of the Great Plain, where as far as the eye can see, acacia rows along the road, groves of trees, and then meadows appear before us.
The sunflower fields nodding in the wind, alternating with quietly swaying wheat fields, greet travelers passing through the landscape. On the lands, hardworking hands, like busy little bees, work from dawn. A multitude of steppe flowers on the meadows, yellowing grain fields embraced by fiery red poppies, blue forget-me-nots, and white chamomile flowers create a kaleidoscope of colors that delight both eye and soul for the traveler. This sight seems like a fairy tale, beckoning to be painted on an artist’s canvas…
"The Nyírség evokes the ancient landscape of the Hungarian Great Plain, a forested steppe dotted with marshes. It preserves the relics of the prehistorical landscape, the marshes between dunes, willow and birch marshes, the depths of groves, which have preserved the most of the Great Plain’s past, both fauna and flora." – thus writes our renowned botanist Rezső Soó about this landscape.
We are in the heart of the Nyírség, in the city of Nyíregyháza, the "Gateway to the East", which as the seat of Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg county is Hungary’s 7th largest city and also the economic and cultural center of the Nyírség. Since the 1990s, the continuously developing city stands out from the cities of the eastern regions of the country also from a tourism perspective.
Among its downtown sights, the most significant are the City Hall, the Korona Hotel, the County Hall, the Móricz Zsigmond Theater, the Jósa András Museum, the Roman Catholic, Greek Catholic, Reformed and Evangelical churches, as well as the János Tuzson Botanical Garden, located on the grounds of Nyíregyháza College.
Among the city’s special tourist events is the traditional Vidor Festival, the series of events called the Nyírség Autumn, within which the Fruit Carnival also takes place.
Fruit carts decorated with interesting and special motifs made from autumn season fruits offer a wonderful sight.
The area around the city also attracts nature lovers. The Sóstói Park Forest, Városliget, and the surroundings of Bujtosi Lake are visited annually by countless hikers guided by their love of nature. One special feature of the Sóstói Park Forest is the intense scent of acacia felt in the spring season; the sweet fragrance of blooming acacias permeates the entire area.
The Sóstói Spa promises a pleasant refreshment to visitors in every season; it is a favored resting place for those seeking relaxation and healing.
Upon arriving at Sóstó, let’s make a small detour to the Nyíregyháza Zoo, the country’s largest zoo, where we can see 500 species and 5000 individuals in an environment similar to their natural habitats. The zoo covers an area of 300,000 m2, integrating into its surroundings while leaving the natural treasures found there untouched.
In the zoo, animals can be admired arranged by continent. The layout's purpose was to allow visitors to travel through the Earth and thus learn about the animal life of each continent. The zoo can show and teach something new to all age groups. With their spectacular educational and cultural programs, they pay special attention to encouraging and teaching children to love animals.
After this small detour, we arrive at the Museum Village located at Sóstó, which traditionally serves as the home for the dog show every year.
At this time, we can meet hundreds of “dog people” in the yards of the old houses, on the porches, and on the paths leading to the homesteads.
As we enter the Sóstó Museum Village, which has been continuously built and expanded since 1971, we step into a genuine late 19th-century village. Through the crowns of the trees, the highest building in the village center appears, the charming Tivadari bell tower with its wooden-shingled roof, and then the large showcase windows of the craftsman's workshops immediately attract attention.
Whether we visit here as guests in winter or summer, we always find something interesting, the village always shows a different face. The high summer sun or the grazing winter sunlight shines on the roofs and carved porch columns of the buildings at different angles.
The organizers of the exhibition, the small team of Dog Breeders from Nyíregyháza, were waiting for the dog exhibitors and visitors at the exhibition venue from 7 a.m.
The Nyíregyháza Dog Breeders are a close-knit and mutually supportive dog-loving team who consider education on responsible pet ownership important from childhood.
The current leadership consists of breeders and young working dog handlers, and together they also work to involve the younger generation in dog-related activities from childhood, to introduce children to responsible love and care for animals.
The organization’s “Dog Champion” Dog School is one of the best sources for this, where dog-loving families, people, and children meet and learn together with their dogs. Almost every age group is represented among the school's pupils, from 10-year-old children to 60-year-old adults. The Dog School helps dog owners with behavioral, socialization, and obedience training, teaching its pupils to handle dogs with love and patience. Sessions take place on Sunday mornings.
The “Dog Champion” Dog School gladly participates in various events with discipline and protection demonstrations, which are very popular with spectators, and they also reserved an interesting agility demonstration for their own dog exhibition.
Another interesting program was promised by the county RKF dog demonstration.
Krisztina Bagi, Junior and Show handler, recalled the exhibition as follows:
“As every year, this year we also visited the Nyíregyháza CAC dog exhibition. This event is close to our hearts not only because of its geographical proximity but also due to the special location. Every year, the exhibition is held at the Sóstói Open-Air Museum Village, which is the largest regional ethnographic open-air museum in our country.
In previous years, there were times when a huge thunderstorm washed out the exhibition, but this year, similar to last year, we had very pleasant weather.
During the day, a little over 400 dogs were judged in 10 judging rings. This time, we only entered Diósgyőri-Őzugró Bugatti “Mikey”, the beagle. Our judge was Dr. Zsuzsanna Váczi-Balogh, who judged not only breed group 6 but also breed group 7 and the spaniels. Unlike most exhibitions, the judging started on time, and since only a few small breeds were before us, we finished quickly.
Mikey won his class and became Breed Winner with a very nice descriptive evaluation and many compliments. Since we had a lot of time before the start of the Best In Show, we spent our time enjoying good conversations and also had the opportunity to watch various dog demonstrations immediately before the afternoon program started.
The Breed Group was also judged by Dr. Zsuzsanna Váczi-Balogh, who quickly placed us in first place. After a quick photo session, the BIS was about to start, judged by Sándor Szabó. We did not place here, but it was still a great feeling to be among the 10 most beautiful dogs of the exhibition!
I would also like to thank the organizers, judges for their work, and last but not least, thank Zsuzsanna Ilyés, owner of the Virágvárosi-Bozótharcos kennel, for the trust!”
Krisztina Bagi belongs to the future dog-loving generation, is a dedicated Junior and Show handler. She lived among dogs since she was a small child and was guided towards handling by her love of dogs. She has also won numerous awards with her own Hovawart breed dog. She competes successfully in Junior handlers’ competitions. Her main goal is to become a professional Show Handler. We wish her much success on this path!
View Krisztina Bagi Junior and Show handler website>>.
Many thanks to Krisztina for the interesting report and the beautiful photos, with which we could once again take a look from a slightly different perspective into the "Colorful and Special World of Exhibitions".
Congratulations to all exhibitors, and especially to the winners for their excellent results at the exhibition!
If you are a dog exhibitor or if you are interested in the world of dog shows, I recommend the author's official website, where the dog show calendars of recent years, the official MEOESZ dog show calendar for 2020, and the Hungarian and English recommendations for all 2020 MEOESZ dog shows will be available in the usual format!
Visit the official website of dog article writer and author Ildikó Vámosi:
Http://ildikovamosi.hu/
🙂 Thank you if you honor me with your visit! 🙂
