It's the weekend. For some dog owners, that means driving to Rover's favorite park for a couple rounds of catch. For others, it means driving to a different state for a couple rounds in the show ring.

But the first weekend in August, even the most trophy-hungry Bismarck dogs and their owners will hardly need to leave the backyard. Get ready, Bismarck is the next stop on the summer dog show circuit.

The all-breed, three-show event Aug. 3-5 at the Bismarck Civic Center will be history in the making for the Bismarck Kennel Club.

Each show features competition in the seven breed groups recognized by the American Kennel Club: sporting, hound, working, terrier, toy, nonsporting and herding, with a "best in show" award given each day.

The special treat on Aug. 3 is a puppy show, with a bred-by-exhibitor show on Aug. 4 and a veteran show on Aug. 5.

The club has been around since the 1970s, but it has yet to host a show. Organizers expect to welcome close to 1,000 dogs each day along with their owners and fans.

These are exciting times for Bill Nieland, of Coleharbor, the club's first and current president.

"It's gratifying that we could put this thing together as fast as we did. We don't have a lot of experienced people, but what they are is hard-working," Nieland said.

Nieland returned to the Bismarck area in 2004, after 26 years away, living in Idaho and California.

To his dismay, he found the club members had dispersed over the years and hadn't held meetings since 1993.

However, the club's corporate identity had been diligently renewed by Sandy Fuchs, of Bismarck.

"Membership had dwindled, and it became harder to recruit more people. We didn't want to give up - we just did not want to fold up completely," Fuchs said. "There was a core group of like four of us who kept in touch. We would always say, 'you know, some day we have to do something about this.'"

Then Nieland moved back and brought with him an excitement that gave the rest of the club a jump start. Since regrouping in 2005, the club now boasts about 70 adult members.

The Bismarck Kennel Club could not sit still and let the other clubs host all the shows. They were "begging" to get in on the competition.

Still, one dog show wasn't enough. They had to have three.

"The Bismarck club has put in a lot of effort and is really excited (about the shows)," Terry James, vice president of events at Onofrio Dog Shows, said.

Onofrio, a company out of Oklahoma City that coordinates more than 600 shows a year across the nation, is managing the August shows.

These will be the first shows ever held in the western part of the state.

"A lot of people go to the first show just to check out the facility. We feel this show will be well-attended this year and beyond because of the facility and the enthusiasm of the club," James said.

Any dog that is at least 6 months old and registered with the American Kennel Club, or that is eligible to be registered, may compete in the August shows.

Entries should be submitted to Onofrio Dog Shows, P.O. Box 25764, Oklahoma City, Okla., 73125; www.onof-rio.com; or 405-427-8181. The cutoff for entries is noon July 18.