PHOTOS: Annual Fall Harvest Festival brings the Halloween fun

It was a boo-tiful way to start celebrating the Halloween season as the Narrows Botanical Gardens hosted its annual Fall Harvest Festival on Sunday, October 8.

Luckily, the rain held up for the most part during the unseasonably warm fall day as the event wooed attendees with traditional activities for the entire family including a craft fair, pumpkin patch and the ever-popular canine costume contest.

Mary Jo Tobin, one of the organizers for the dog contest, expressed her enthusiasm.

“I think it’s a much anticipated community event and I think it’s a wonderful one in that it allows the family and the dog to participate in something together and I think it’s fun for all of them,” she said. “It was a tremendous success. The weather seemed to clear up in our favor. We had 20 registrants, which was nice. We didn’t expect to have that many people with their dogs because of the weather. That was a surprise and it was a really terrific day.”

It cost $15 for each entry and it was worth it for many attendees. A large variety of pooches dressed up in creative costumes such as Thor, spaghetti and meatballs, Darth Vader, a sailor, Dr. Seuss characters and more.

“What was really neat about is that so many families participated as a family,” Tobin added. “There were husband, wives and their kids together. There were mothers and their sons and the dogs. It was really neat that everybody was engaged rather than having one person participating with the dog.”

The winner in show, determined by four judges, included a Labradoodle named Eddy dressed as Thor. “They had a script they had prepared. It was so neat,” added Tobin.

Other winners included Buttercup, a little Chihuahua dressed as a fish, and Dash and her owner Laura who dressed as scuba divers.

“We did a lifetime recognition award to a dog named Rowdy who’s participated for so many years in our events and he’s won in every event I think since 2010,” she said. “They had him dressed as Hugh Woofner in a satin robe in honor of Hugh Hefner and he had a little Maltese dressed as a bunny accompanying him.”

Winners received gift certificates to local businesses such as Casa Calamari, HoM, Brooklyn Market, Vesuvio and Bad Ass Academy.

The event, held in the Narrows Botanical Gardens at Shore Road and Bay Ridge Avenue, was free admission as attendees enjoyed the live performances by the Al ‘e’ Mo Square Dancers. Children who picked their pumpkins were able to paint them as well.

Attendees love the tradition.

“I love coming here every year,” said Lisa D. “ I like to buy the crafts, but what I love the most is the dog costume contest. I bring my dog every year even though she doesn’t participate in it. I just enjoy seeing the creative costumes and I’m glad they have it every year.”

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