WSET.com - ABC13Final Push For $100,000 Prize For Lynchburg Dog Park

Reporter: Jeremy Mills

Lynchburg, VA - The last vote tally had Lynchburg in the number one spot in the PetSafe "Bark for Your Park" $100,000 giveaway. But with only one week left, the leaderboard has gone dark, and we won't know who's on top until the winner is announced.

We have been following the progress towards a new dog park and supporters are planning a huge final week push to make sure we win.  Local promoters believe it will take many more votes to seal the deal.

Lynchburg has been neck and neck with Huntington, West Virginia. However, if we lose, it won't be for a lack of effort.

Niro Rasanayagam has become known for playing the reporter in the Lynchburg dog park promotional video. As the chair of the Friends of Lynchburg Dog Park, she's adopted the new role of top booster.

"We just have one more week to go and we just need to keep up the efforts and I think we can pull it off," said Rasanayagam.

Supporters have voting stations planned this week for the Hillcats' game, Friday Cheers, and at the Community Market.

Lynchburg Parks and Recreation Director Kay Frazier said that it is so important for everybody to vote everyday, talk to your friends and keep pushing, keep pushing, keep pushing.

Businesses like Pet Craze Pet Store are also promoting the cause through fliers and word of mouth.

"People need to be pushed, they need to know that if they don't vote, they don't get it so we need to push them so they'll vote," said Liz Beazley, Clerk at Pet Craze. 

If the votes keep coming in, the Hill City might soon have one of the best dog parks in the country.

"It just gives me chills to think how close we are to winning $100,000 for the first dog park in Lynchburg," said Frazier.

Many have heard the rumor that celebrity chef, Jamie Oliver, is pushing his fans to vote for Huntington, West Virginia. Some think that's why the city is doing so well. The Lynchburg supporters aren't too concerned and still believe that we are going to win.

Rules and reminders from Friends of Lynchburg Dog Park:

• You can vote EVERY day on EACH site -- www.barkforyourpark.com and www.facebook.com/PetSafeBrand.
• Voting doesn't end until Aug 3.
• You don't have to live in Lynchburg to vote.
• You don't need a FaceBook account to vote.
• You don't need a dog to vote...a dog park improves the quality of life for the entire area and makes it more attractive to employers and employees.
• You can help us win the money to build a park without using any government funds or adding to our debt.
• You do need an e-mail address to vote, but your information is not sold by PetSafe.
• You can learn more about our dog park project and get the links to vote at www.lynchburgdogpark.com.
• You can get our small flyer here and our large flyer here, please print them and use them to recruit new voters.