Ever since the creation of the citizen-raised Hillcrest Dog Park (1415 Lyon St NE) at Fuller Park, Grand Rapids has quickly gone to the dogs. This is visibly evident anywhere you travel in the city where dogs big and small parade their owners (or walkers) out in the open. People here love their canine friends.
On Saturday at Eastown’s Wilcox Park (and within a short distance from Hillcrest — our city’s first public dog park) arrives the first-ever Howl-oween Pawty produced by the Eastown Community Association.
This free event will welcome dogs, their owners, and friends to a park party unlike any other in our city.
In addition to having a chance to dress your canine pal in a festive Halloween outfit to compete in the costume contest, attendees can also grab a locally brewed beverage from Creston Brewing’s beer tent or even sit for a special dog photo booth portrait with your furry best friend.
Folks who decide to compete will do so for prizes and gift baskets within categories like funniest, scariest, best group (multiple dogs or owner/pet costumes), and most creative.
The event will also give folks attending a chance to visit more than a dozen pet-focused vendors creating a one-stop opportunity (instead of driving around town to visit), which at press time includes:
The Grateful Dog
Collin Cares Private Dog Sitting
Eastown Veterinary Clinic
Pleasant Hearts Pet Food Pantry
Chow Hound Pet Supplies
Fido & Stitch
Samantha Ruth Photography
Dogtopia
Pet-Agree, LLC Petsitting/Dogwalking
PawTree pet nutrition (
We Love Pets)
The Grassy Knoll
All Species Kinship (A.S.K.)
Shaggy Pines Dog Park
And while not everyone who attends Howl-oween Pawty will have a dog, you can be certain that an event centered on this much creativity and fun is sure to be a memorable afternoon at one of the area’s most popular city parks in Eastown.
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G-sync editor's note: If you enjoy our Grand Rapids parks and live in the city, then take a moment to click on this City of Grand Rapids link to download a PDF that explains the upcoming Parks Millage. This item appears on the citywide Nov. 5 ballot.)