FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 17, 2000 CONTACT: Mike Mahon, (515) 271-3014 BEAUTIFUL BULLDOG CONTEST SET FOR APRIL 24 The 21st annual Beautiful Bulldog Contest will kick off Drake Relays Festival Week on Monday, April 24, at Nollen Plaza in downtown Des Moines. Forty bulldogs will participate in the contest to determine Drake's mascot for the 91st running of the Drake Relays April 28-29. The contestants will be judged by a panel starting at 11 a.m. with the pageant scheduled for noon. Des Moines Mayor Present Daniels will be on hand to award the winning dog the key to the city. The Beautiful Bulldog Contest is sponsored by the Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery and Three Dog Bakery in Valley Junction. "The return of the Drake Relays Beautiful Bulldog contest is due in large part to the enthusiasm and support of Rock Bottom Restaurant and Brewery," said Dolph Pulliam, director of athletic marketing at Drake. "Many of our customoers are Drake students and alumni," addied Vickie Wiskow, general manager of Rock Bottom Restaurant and Brewery in West Des Moines. "They were disappointed the contest was omitted from last year's relays festivities, so we decided to get involved and revive the tradition." Members of the celebrity judges panel include Joe Cominsky, regional manager of Rock Bottom Restaurant and Brewery; Nancy Gorecki, owner of Three Dog Bakery; Madeleine Maxwell, wife of Drake University President David Maxwell; John Rosen, Drake University student body president; and members of the local media. For more information, call Vickie Wiskow at (515) 267-8900.