A total of 2,859 groomers from across the country attended the 10th annual Celebration of Style grooming competition, held Oct. 2-4 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Ill., and 36 groomers entered 77 dogs in an effort to win more than $20,000 in cash, travel packages and trophies during the three-day event sanctioned by GroomTeam USA (Beaumont, Calif.).

The competition was held in conjunction with H.H. Backer’s 43rd Annual Pet Industry Christmas Trade Show and Educational Conference. (Click here to see the online photo gallery for Backer’s 2009 Christmas Trade Show.)

Greta Dalrymple of Top Notch Grooming (Niles, Mich.) was the competition’s big winner, taking home the title of Division A Best All-Around Groomer. She received $2,000 and a trophy from Coastal Pet Products (Alliance, Ohio), as well as a deluxe five-night trip for two to San Juan, Puerto Rico, from H.H. Backer Associates (Chicago). Dalrymple also took the Division A Best Groomed Dog prize, winning another $2,000 from Electric Cleaner Co. Inc. (Osseo, Wis.).

Jaclyn Lamkin of Gail’s Groomerie (Naperville, Ill.) was Division B Best All-Around Groomer, winning $1,000 from ConairPro Professional Pet Grooming Products (Stamford, Conn.), as well as two round-trip airline tickets for any continental U.S. destination from H.H. Backer Associates Inc. Dawn Smith of Dirty Dog (Naperville, Ill.) had Best Groomed Dog in Division B, winning $1,000 from Gimborn Pet Specialties (Norcross, Ga.).

Classes in the Celebration of Style were sponsored by Andis Co. (Racine, Wis.), Lambert Kay/Church & Dwight Co. Inc. (Princeton, N.J.), Metro Air Force (Suffern, N.Y.), Ultra-Lift Inc. (Manawa, Wis.) and H.H. Backer Associates Inc.

The 11th Celebration of Style will be held in conjunction with H.H. Backer’s 44th Annual Pet Industry Christmas Trade Show, Oct. 8-10, 2010, in Rosemont (Chicago) Ill. For information, call 312-578-1818 or visit www.hhbacker.com. [December 2009 PET AGE]