At noon on Oct. 26, a red carpet unfurled in the center of the Church Street Marketplace. The guests of honor were local pets and their owners dressed in their Halloween bests.
The annual dog costume contest, affectionately dubbed “Howl’ween,” was sponsored by Star 92.9 Radio and Northfield Savings Bank. The costumes were judged in four categories: “Silliest,” “Most Original,” “Best Pup Owner” and “Best In Show.”
Each dog paraded down the red carpet with their owners in front of judges from Star 92.9, who then chose the top three costumes from each category. The winners were ultimately decided by the crowd based on the volume of applause that each contestant earned.
In the “Silliest” category, Jana and Camper took the crown in a UPS driver costume. Second and third place went to Scott and Violet, donning a childless cat owner costume, and Kai and Cabot, a corgi dressed as the cult classic baked good, Wonder Bread.
The winners of the “Most Original” category were Gabby and Roo in an adorable homemade Capri Sun costume. Second place went to coonhound Biscuit, dressed as a Tesla Cybertruck, and his owner Kory. Third place went to Raie and Boobie, who had balloons attached to his back to resemble the house from the Pixar movie “Up.”
For “Best Pup Owner,” owners matched their pups’ costumes. Willa and Fella secured a first-place win in their Harry Potter-inspired costumes as Hermione and Fluffy, followed by Hans, Julia and Hyessy dressed as “Finding Nemo” characters. In third, Tori, Joey and Nora were grill masters and a fluffy Portuguese sausage.
The coveted “Best in Show” title went to Evie and Bandit who donned matching cotton candy costumes. April and Frankie won second place in a terrifying Chucky costume, and Tracy and the unicorn-dressed Sarge secured third, complete with a vest reading “Love is Love.”
The winners and runners-up received a variety of prizes for their ingenuity, ranging from a gift card to Ri Ra Irish Pub to dog toys and treats from Pet Food Warehouse.
The event drew a large crowd of dog owners and dog lovers alike. Christina, a Burlington local, proudly showed off Nugget and Coopie, her two dogs dressed as Little Bo Peep and a sheep. She and her two kids heard about the contest the day before and knew they had to be there, she said.
“It’s our first year at the event, but the kids had such a great time,” Christina said. “We’ll be back next year for sure.”
