Every great community fundraiser has an origin story, but few can match the Hound Dog Music Festival’s: it began with one yellow cat — or, depending on how you count, 35 of them.
Beth Fugard, chairman of the festival for its first eight years, had a rental property in Silverhill with a nice tenant who owned a single yellow cat. The cat would watch from the window whenever Beth walked the property, which once was the Woodhaven Dairy. When the tenant moved out, 35 yellow cats were left behind.
Beth immediately called the Baldwin Humane Society, which trapped all the cats, handled their medical needs and found them homes over two years. “They didn’t ask for a dime, and I felt guilty and wanted to do something for the organization,” she says. The result, in 2017, was the Hound Dog Music Festival — now one of the most beloved fundraisers on the Eastern Shore.
A Festival Built to Be Easy
Her friend Kenny Horton offered the use of his venue, Hidden Lake, a beautiful spot in Silverhill with a red barn, a vast lawn and a lake. With the help of Karl Langley, Joel Keasel and a core group of volunteers — 95 percent of whom are still on the committee — the festival debuted and has netted 40 to 60 thousand dollars a year for the Baldwin Humane Society.
Fugard wanted the event easy and fun: no silent auction, a lineup of local music, and an educational spotlight on what the Baldwin Humane Society actually does. The formula worked. Patrons have been entertained by the Leavin Brothers, Thicc n Thin, Jenna McClelland and the Ayers Brothers over the years, with MCs from local television and radio, sponsor tables with hand-designed centerpieces, and memorable raffles — including a 1974 Flote Bote with trailer, donated by Will Thompson.
The festival’s poster wall tells its own history. Every poster from previous festivals hangs in Fugard’s office, signed by the musicians — including one from 2018 signed by Brandon Coleman of the Red Clay Strays. Yes, the Red Clay Strays played, long before the Mobile-area band became national favorites.
What the Baldwin Humane Society Does
The festival funds a shelter that does remarkable work on private donations alone. Established in 1979, the Baldwin Humane Society was the first no-kill shelter in the area, and it operates without support from city, county or state funds. In a typical year it adopts out 1,200 cats and dogs, sells 4,000 spay and neuter coupons, provides 10,000 pounds of dog food to needy families, covers pet medical care for 100 families, and sends about 100 dogs north to be adopted — Northern states’ stricter animal laws mean rescue dogs can easily find homes there.
Every pet adopted from the Baldwin Humane Society stays in the organization’s system for life, able to access services such as vet care and food. None of it happens on government money: the shelter relies on private donations, grants and fundraisers like the Hound Dog Fest. Sponsorships range from $250 “Happy Paws” levels up to $25,000 “Diamond Paws.”
From the Barn to the Amphitheater
The festival has grown with its cause. The 10th annual edition marked both an anniversary and a new era: the event moved from Silverhill to the Halstead Amphitheater, bringing the celebration into the heart of Fairhope — a bigger venue, gates opening in the late afternoon, live music from bands like Rollin in the Hay, Fly by Radio and the Ayers Bros Band, food trucks, and the bring-your-own-chair-and-cooler informality that made the original festival beloved. Every dollar raised goes to the animals.
The Baldwin Humane Society’s leadership credits the core committee — volunteers like Charles and Kim Davis, Susan Mitchell, Susan Smith, Jim Knox, Natalie and Gary Reynolds, Rick Bowen, Kaitlynn Jones, Shelby Dye and Valerie Goldberg — for the festival’s staying power. Beth’s family business, Stowe’s Jewelers in downtown Fairhope, anchors her community ties, and stop-by-and-say-thanks visitors are always welcome.
Community Fundraisers Matter
The Hound Dog Festival sits within a broader ecosystem of Eastern Shore giving — companion events like the Fairhope Witches Ride have also benefited the Baldwin Humane Society — and it demonstrates how one determined volunteer can build an institution. Fugard wanted an event that was easy to run, fun to attend and true to the shelter’s mission. A decade in, the formula has funded thousands of adoptions, thousands of spay and neuter coupons, and tens of thousands of pounds of dog food.
It is also, by all accounts, simply a great day out: music on the lawn, dogs and their people everywhere, and the knowledge that the ticket price goes straight to the animals. Sponsorships for future festivals run from the $250 “Happy Paws” level up to the $25,000 “Diamond Paws,” with ticket information available through the Baldwin Humane Society.
As for the origin story — 35 yellow cats, one guilty landlord and a red barn — it has become the kind of local legend that gets retold at every festival. Beth Fugard and her committee deserve the credit, but the first yellow cat deserves a nod too. It looked out the window, and Fairhope and Baldwin County have been better for it ever since.