Pets, pet-lovers given large role in Western Day festival
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Four-legged festival-goers will play a large role in Lewisville’s Western Day event being held Saturday, Sept. 1, in Old Town Lewisville. Planned activities include a Children’s Pet Parade and the new Tailwaggers Ranch pet area.
Other festival activities at the family event, designed to showcase Lewisville’s rich history, include a Main Street parade, two festival stages of live music, arts and crafts vendors, gunfight re-enactments, trick ropers, car show, Longhorn cattle drive, three nights of the annual Labor Day Rodeo and the third annual World Tamale Eating Championship.
Free shuttle parking will be available at Lewisville High School, 1098 W. Main Street, from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Tailwaggers Ranch will be open throughout the festival at the northwest corner of Church and Charles streets, offering information, products and contests for pets. Four local animal rescue groups – Coppell Humane Society, Operation Kindness, Golden Retriever Rescue and Great Dane Rescue – will assist with on-site pet adoptions.
Other groups at Tailwaggers Ranch to operate pet-related information booths will be Texas Tailwaggers Village Rescue, Pot Belly Pig Rescue, Saving Great Pyrenese in Need, Ark Mix Breed Rescue and Guinea Pig Rescue.
Great Dane Rescue also is offering pet microchipping for only $20 per animal, including the implanting procedure and registration.
Pet games will be held at 11 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. with prizes awarded for waggiest tale,
fastest face-licker, hot dog bobbing and fastest treat-eater. To enter, animals must have proof of current rabies vaccination. Lewisville pet owners also must show proof that their animal is registered, or they can register on site with city officials and save the $5 annual permit fee.
Prizes for winners have been donated by Petco, Chase Bank, Albertson’s, BJ's Brewery and Restaurant, Interskate, Lake Park Executive Golf Club, Firestone, Kroger and Garden Ridge Animal Hospital.
Western Day outdoor activities (including a children’s area, craft vendors, live music, and Western-style re-enactments and demonstrations) will start with a Main Street parade at 10 a.m. led by a herd of Texas Longhorns.
The one-mile parade route runs from Cowen Street east on Main Street to Mill Street, then south to DeLay Middle School. This year’s parade activities will include a Children’s Pet Parade. Animals must have proof of current rabies vaccination, and Lewisville pet owners also must show proof that their animal is registered. Each pet parade entry will receive a free snack, drink and a souvenir pet parade button (while supplies last). Applications are available at www.cityoflewisville.com.
Sponsors for Western Day 2007 include City of Lewisville, Lewisville Convention and Visitors Bureau, EMC Mortgage, Bank of the West, Budweiser, First Choice Power, North Texas Tollway Authority, Holt Companies, Texas-New Mexico Power, Dallas Tortilla & Tamale Factory, 96.3 KSCS, 96.7 The Texas Twister, Waste Management of Texas, Coca-Cola, The Home Depot and Cavender’s Boot City. Community supporters include Old Town Business Association, Old Town Preservation Society, Greater Lewisville Arts Council, Lewisville Morning Rotary Club and Lewisville High School.
For additional information and the latest on Western Day 2007, visit www.cityoflewisville.com or call (972) 219-EVENT.
Media contact: Marketing and Events Coordinator Jennifer Galante, (972) 219-3710
