A holiday parade for pets and their owners
Taniah Tudor
Issue date: 12/5/08 Section: Lifestyles
Dressing for the holidays is not just for people anymore, as anyone attending the First Annual Pet Parade will see.
As part of the 2008 Lights of the Ozarks festivities, animals dressed in sassy attire will be parading through the square in downtown Fayetteville 6 to 8 p.m. today to show off their holiday cheer. Pets with Santa will also begin at 6 p.m., according to the Lights of the Ozarks Web site. Those who want to participate must fill out an entry form, which can be found on the Web site.
If that is not enough, pets that have really gotten into the holiday spirit can also get a picture with Santa Claus, to commemorate their participation in the parade.
Levi Rush and Marisa Iund are UA students enrolled in a hospitality class who have taken over the planning for the Lights of the Ozarks. The class decided to add the pet parade to the festivities this year, Rush said.
The pet parade was originally supposed to be part of the Lights of the Ozarks Parade on Dec. 22, but the students decided to make it a separate parade because the pet parade turned out to be more popular than the students thought it would be, Rush said.
The students decided it would be great as a separate attraction to bring people out to enjoy the lights in downtown Fayetteville for its extended use, Rush said.
The route for the pet parade will be around the square. The parade will begin at 6:15 p.m. on the Mountain Street side of the square, but people attending should get there early, Rush said.
"It is going to be fun chaos," Iund said. "It's going to be a lot of pets in one area, and a lot of fun for the kids."
There will be pet owners, and some will bring their kids to walk the animals, but Rush said he thinks a lot of people will go just to watch.
The parade activities will also include a pet costume contest, which might be judged by a few people pulled randomly off the street, he said.
The pets can be dressed up in anything, not just holiday fashion. Iund said she knows at least one dog that will probably be coming as a princess. She is bringing her own dog dressed in antlers and an "I've been naughty" T-shirt, she said.
Rush is also bringing his dog, a Jack Russell terrier named Fuego, because "he is the cutest dog on earth," he said. He had not found a costume for Fuego yet, but he and his girlfriend were leaning toward a holiday sweater featuring a Christmas tree with a blinking star, he said.
The parade is not just for dogs, but they are the most common animals found on a leash, he said. City laws require that pets be kept on a leash in public.
The entry fee for the parade is $10 and $15 for a picture with Santa, but only $20 for those who are doing both, according to the Lights of the Ozarks Web site.
All proceeds from the event will go to benefit the Fayetteville Animal Shelter, Rush said.
There is also a pet food drive through today and people can drop food off at the Fayetteville Visitors Bureau during that week or bring it to the event, according to the Web site.
As part of the 2008 Lights of the Ozarks festivities, animals dressed in sassy attire will be parading through the square in downtown Fayetteville 6 to 8 p.m. today to show off their holiday cheer. Pets with Santa will also begin at 6 p.m., according to the Lights of the Ozarks Web site. Those who want to participate must fill out an entry form, which can be found on the Web site.
If that is not enough, pets that have really gotten into the holiday spirit can also get a picture with Santa Claus, to commemorate their participation in the parade.
Levi Rush and Marisa Iund are UA students enrolled in a hospitality class who have taken over the planning for the Lights of the Ozarks. The class decided to add the pet parade to the festivities this year, Rush said.
The pet parade was originally supposed to be part of the Lights of the Ozarks Parade on Dec. 22, but the students decided to make it a separate parade because the pet parade turned out to be more popular than the students thought it would be, Rush said.
The students decided it would be great as a separate attraction to bring people out to enjoy the lights in downtown Fayetteville for its extended use, Rush said.
The route for the pet parade will be around the square. The parade will begin at 6:15 p.m. on the Mountain Street side of the square, but people attending should get there early, Rush said.
"It is going to be fun chaos," Iund said. "It's going to be a lot of pets in one area, and a lot of fun for the kids."
There will be pet owners, and some will bring their kids to walk the animals, but Rush said he thinks a lot of people will go just to watch.
The parade activities will also include a pet costume contest, which might be judged by a few people pulled randomly off the street, he said.
The pets can be dressed up in anything, not just holiday fashion. Iund said she knows at least one dog that will probably be coming as a princess. She is bringing her own dog dressed in antlers and an "I've been naughty" T-shirt, she said.
Rush is also bringing his dog, a Jack Russell terrier named Fuego, because "he is the cutest dog on earth," he said. He had not found a costume for Fuego yet, but he and his girlfriend were leaning toward a holiday sweater featuring a Christmas tree with a blinking star, he said.
The parade is not just for dogs, but they are the most common animals found on a leash, he said. City laws require that pets be kept on a leash in public.
The entry fee for the parade is $10 and $15 for a picture with Santa, but only $20 for those who are doing both, according to the Lights of the Ozarks Web site.
All proceeds from the event will go to benefit the Fayetteville Animal Shelter, Rush said.
There is also a pet food drive through today and people can drop food off at the Fayetteville Visitors Bureau during that week or bring it to the event, according to the Web site.
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