Will Daskal, who teaches ongoing art classes in watercolor and acrylics for the Pocono Arts Council, was honored with a First Place in Watercolor at the Pocono Mountains Art Group's 66th Annual Courthouse Square Art Show. Daskal's half-sheet original watercolor painting entitled "Brodhead Creek - Autumn" will be on display in the PAC's ARTSPACE Gallery in Stroudsburg during October when Daskal will be the Featured Artist there. Daskal's upcoming fall show will be a personal celebration of the Pocono Landscape, with many pieces painted on location en plein air. An Artist's Reception for Daskal is scheduled for Saturday, October 6th, and he will be on hand in person all that day to meet and greet visitors.

His current work may be viewed on his website at WillDaskal.com.Daskal is also an avid dog owner and dog lover. Along with his photographer-wife, Barbara, they are active members of the Safe Haven Pet Rescue, a small group of dedicated volunteers from the West End of the Poconos who work tirelessly to save highly adoptable dogs from high kill and overcrowded shelters and find them loving homes. Shelter killing is the number one cause of dog deaths, and Safe Haven has saved over 600 lives to date.On August 11, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Safe Have and MudWorks Pottery & Gallery are teaming up to help place highly adoptable dogs in loving "forever" homes. The event entitled "It's Raining Cats & Dogs!" will be hosted by MudWorks, located at 3278 Rt. 115, Effort. Safe Haven will have many beautiful, young dogs available for you to meet and get to know.There will also be numerous other activities going on as well, such as: decorate your own cat or dog cupcake with Kitchen Chemistry; Feeling Our Oats from Monroe County 4-H will be hosting a bake sale with 100 percent of the proceeds to benefit Safe Haven so they need baked items; Ellie the Krafty Klown will be there to make balloon animals and do face painting by donation, with all donations to benefit Safe Haven, as well! most of these activities will run from approximately 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.From 11 a.m. - 3 p.m., Once & Done Workshop will take place making Animal Totem Poles. (Pre-registration is required for this event. Choose one time slot: 11 am, 1 pm or 3 pm. Call Mudworks at 570-872-9MUD.)In the evening, from 5 to 7 p.m., several fellow area artists will be at an Artists' Reception hosted by MudWorks. Light refreshments will be served. All participating artists have created their own thematic interpretative works to develop the thematic concept that "It's Raining Cats & Dogs."Safe Haven Rescue needs Volunteers to help with Adoption Days, fundraising, transporting dogs to vets and groomers, and fostering homeless dogs until they find their forever homes. If you are an animal lover, the Daskals and their fellow Safe Haven volunteers would love to meet you and ask for your help to save homeless dogs.For more information about the "It's Raining Cats & Dogs!" event, call MudWorks (570) 872-9MUD or visit MudWorksPotteryPA.com.For more information about Safe Haven, and to find a list of dogs available for adoption and Adoption Applications, please visit

www.SafeHavenPa.org. Contact Safe Haven at

SafeHaven@epix.com. Join Safe Haven Pa on Facebook.