The Gathering of Collies…

It’s that time of year, the time when collie lovers gather from near and far, to celebrate their love of the collie.  Each year, on the third weekend in August, the Collie Health Foundation hosts The Gathering at Sunnybank.  What and where is Sunnybank?  Back in the 1920s and 1930s the famous author, Albert Payson Terhune, wrote many books about his beloved collies.  His home was called Sunnybank, and it was located in Wayne, New Jersey.  His collies, called the Sunnybank Collies, lived on the estate and their many adventures, both real and fictitious, were the subject of Terhune’s beloved stories.   

Terhune and three of his collies, Bruce, Wolf and Lad

The Sunnybank collies were real, and their graves can still be found at Sunnybank today.  The home and barn are gone now, but the property remains and has been turned into a park.  It’s there, at the Sunnybank park, that the Gathering is held.  During the weekend there are guest speakers, covering a wide range of topics, from collie history to collie health issues.  There is also an auction held with collie books, memorabilia, paintings, and so much more.  On Saturday they hold a memorial, with a bagpiper playing a lonesome tune, to remember the collies that have passed away.  They also offer a walking tour of the grounds, as well as therapy dog and CGC tests.  On Sunday they hold a puppy match, where breeders can show their new collie puppies, gently teaching them how to be show dogs one day.

Items from a past auction

For collie lovers, The Gathering brings everyone together to socialize, search for items to add to their collie collections, add a new title, and maybe learn something new from the guest speakers.  But it also gives us the chance to remember the collies of the past, both the Sunnybank collies and our own.  To walk the grounds of Sunnybank, surrounded by hundreds of beautiful collies, while hearing their joyous barks fill the air, can be a magical experience.  It is something every collie lover should get to experience at least once in their lifetime.

This Saturday we will be heading to The Gathering, and we can’t wait to walk the grounds that the Sunnybank collies and Terhune once called home.  We will be sitting by the “fire-blue lake,” as described by Terhune.  We will be petting all the collies, visiting with friends, and maybe trying to find something to add to our own collie collection.  I’ve written numerous posts about Sunnybank over the years, so I’m including links below.  And hopefully next week I will have a new post with new pictures from Sunnybank to share, so make sure you check back with us!

To learn more about Sunnybank, check out these posts:

Sunnybank Remembered

It All Started with a Book

The Gathering at Sunnybank

Sunnybank, then and now, always beloved

Sunnybank (2016)

Sunnybank Revisted

Sunnybank (2012)