Dogs in costume take center stage at annual harvest festival

The Narrows Botanical Garden hosted its annual Harvest Festival celebration on Sunday, October 14. According to Jimmy Johnson, organizer and vice president of the Narrows Botanical Garden Association, this event was one of the best yet.

“Bay Ridge is a healthy community,” he said, “and this year’s festival was one of the best we’ve ever had.” The festivities included country western dancers and pumpkin painting, and featured a number of independent vendors selling homemade goods. Johnson said it could best be described as a “small-town kind of event.”

Along with the over 600 people estimated by Johnson to have attended, there were over 36 costumed dogs competing for awards in the Canine Costume Contest organized by Bay Ridge’s Paws Truly Pet Boutique. Pooches of all shapes and size were garbed in everything from mutt-sized basketball jerseys to button-down shirts and ties.

All in all, Johnson believed the event was a huge success – and not just because of the large crowd. “A lot of other festivals just have vendors, lined up selling the same generic stuff, trying to make money,” he said. “There’s no soul. This has spirit. It has soul. A part of the community is involved and that’s rare nowadays.”

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