... and the parrots, too.
For today, townsfolk held the annual St. Helena Pet Parade. kicking off an all-day Octoberfest-cum-Harvest Festival, featuring an artisanal crafts fair.
Residents of St.
Helena lined both sides of Oak Street to watch the pet parade, which lasted
about 45 minutes.
The pet parade is one of my favorite annual rituals in the valley; residents dress up their pets and march them before judges who award prizes for the top dog, so to speak.
Some years, entrants have paraded their sheep, cats, and other family pets; this year, most of the contestants were well groomed dogs.
Several Bassett hounds
made appearances in the parade this year.
For the record, my boy,
Linus, did not dress up this year for the Pet Parade; he sat this one out on
the sidelines, preferring instead to make offhanded comments about the various
costumes.