Spirit of the Heartland
March 22 -30, 2019
Peoria, located halfway between Chicago & St. Louis, is nestled along the Illinois River in the Heartland of Illinois. Peoria gives you big city amenities with the flavor of small town hospitality. A four-time “All American City” award winner, Peoria is welcoming the Collie Club of America with open arms!
The Peoria Tourism Reserve Fund awarded the Collie Club of America $114,435 to be used toward Peoria Civic Center facility costs for the 2019 National Specialty dog show. We encourage you to recognize this generosity by patronizing hotels and businesses within the City of Peoria.
The 2019 National venue is the Peoria Civic Center (PCC), the premier convention center of central Illinois. The PCC will provide us with a 110,000 square foot exhibition hall along with meeting rooms and a concession stand, and includes free WiFi and free parking. It’s conveniently located off I-74, making it easily accessible from every major cross-country interstate.
Our host hotels are the beautifully renovated historic Marriott Pere Marquette and the modern and chic Courtyard by Marriott. Both are connected to the PCC by a dog friendly skywalk.
Downtown Peoria has something for everyone. The host hotels and PCC are three blocks from the dog friendly Peoria RiverFront, where you will find delightful dining, shopping, and entertainment options.
We are excited to have added an extra day of judging to the 2019 National. We hope this makes for a more relaxed and enjoyable experience for all! Conformation judging will begin on Tuesday, and to allow each event to have its own day without overlap, Herding trials will begin on Friday. See the schedule for the week under Events.
Peoria has become famous as a representation of the average American city because of its demographics and its perceived mainstream Midwestern culture. On the Vaudeville circuit, it was said that if an act succeeded in Peoria, it would succeed anywhere. The question "Will it play in Peoria?" became a metaphor for whether something appeals to the American mainstream public.
We look forward to welcoming you to Peoria, where our “Collies will be playing!”
Venues
| Conformation, Obedience, Rally | Herding & Agility | |
| Peoria Civic Center 201 SW Jefferson Ave Peoria IL 61602 |
Agility At The Farm 8N861 Burlington Road Campton Hills IL 60140 |