Chamber pet parade calls for animal lovers – and pets

Mark your calendars: Saturday, March 18 is the Second Annual La Conner Pet Parade presented by the La Conner Chamber of Commerce (lovelaconner.com). It starts at 11 a.m. at the La Conner Marina parking lot. From there adorned pets and proud owners will make their way south to Gilkey Square for activities lasting to 2 p.m..

"A lot of people know people just by the animals" says resident and parade coordinator Gina McCarthy Torpey, owner of Enchanted Locks Hair Salon. She is relying on La Conner middle schoolers Faith and Kiana Jenkins to put together flyers and organize the pet food drive, respectively. Other local students will help in various ways during the event, from photography and production to selecting the "Best Dressed" contest winner.

McCarthy Torpey believes it is important to get kids involved in the town's events, especially as La Conner relies more on the next generation to step into leadership positions. She fondly calls La Conner the most beautiful town in the world and says it reminds her of the small village in Limerick, Ireland where she grew up. She recognizes the importance of making this tiny town more fun for kids, something her village lacked.

"This is a good, local family event" says Louisa Nickerson, a lifelong resident of La Conner who owns Forever Young Skin Care and volunteers with the Chamber. "Last year [the pet parade] was a big hit. It's good to keep it going." Mark Hulst, Chamber executive director, is looking forward to the festivities. He believes it's important for La Conner to "help our business community and include our youth."

This year's theme is "Daffodils" to coincide with the La Conner Daffodil Festival. There will be a red-carpet fashion show for costumed pets, along with a fun backdrop for photos. Your pet may even be featured in a future La Conner calendar that students are putting together.

You can adopt a kitten or puppy at the event through Because We Care Rescue (bwcrescue.com), or consider donating much needed dog and cat food to their pet food drive. There will also be a professional pet trainer on site from Finesse Canine Dog Training (finessek9llc.com). Its owner, Zack Baldwin, says you can teach an old dog new tricks.

All pets are welcome at the La Conner Pet Parade, not just dogs. Let's see how many fun pets our town has to show off!