Stow away those floats and order the high school marching band to quit practicing! Tell your mayor to forget that monotonous Halloween parade, because parades featuring decked out pets and their happy owners are sure to foster a sense of community in your town and give neighbors a chance to show off their talented pooch or feline. Once you have everyone convinced, follow Animal Fair’s simple steps to designing a pet-acular parade!
Pet Parade Point 1: Get the woof out there
A new kind of parade will be debuting in your town this year, so make sure everyone knows about it! Choose an open paper and television ads to spread the word. Let everyone know that this is a pet parade, an event where pooches and felines may attend wearing their most creative attire… even nothing at all, if they choose! Ask those who are interested in participating in the procession to RSVP so you can organize the flow and order of the parade.
Pet Parade Point 2: Organize to ensure PawFection!
Organization on the day of the parade is crucial. Give yourself plenty of time to set up, and make sure participants arrive early. Tie balloons around concession stands and mark off the projected parade path with colorful electrical tape so owners and their pooches know where to prance. Place bowls filled with cool water along the pathway to keep patched pets hydrated, but intersperse the water bowls with delectable treat bowls for both cats and dogs! Design a pet and owner lineup prior to parade day. Classify the pooches and felines by costume and/or talent, if possible. For example, dogs decked out in Halloween costumes should all walk together.
Pet Parade Point 3: Keep it interesting
Keep parade-goers satisfied by renting small concession stands. If your procession is on the smaller scale, consider homemade refreshments. For bigger events, you’ll need a sound system that will project out to parade-goers; keep the tunes light and fun. And don’t forget to snag a fabulous costume for your pooch of felines; he or she should be the leader of the pack come parade day!
Pet Parade Point 4: Procession Pointers
Keep everyone in line and play announcer. Let everyone know who’s who, who’s wearing what, and who’s got that special talent that will blow the pooches from the next town over out of the water. Most of all have fun; this is a great chance to get to know your neighbors and their pets.
Brittany Jasnoff
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