LABELLE – What’s more fun than a barrel of monkeys? A park full of dachshunds! And you can find them at the upcoming Howl-O-Ween & Lenny’s Downtown Doxie Dash event on Saturday, Oct. 21, at Barron Park in LaBelle.

Registration begins at 9:30 a.m. and closes at 10 a.m., with the Blessing of the Pets Ceremony  at 9:45 a.m. at the gazebo.

First Heat in the Downtown Doxie Dash starts at 10:15 a.m. and continues until the grand prize winner is announced.

The Hendry County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Officer presentation begins at 12:30 p.m. with the popular Pet Costume Contest beginning at 1 p.m. (or after the K-9 presentation), culminating with the Menestrelli Circus Dog Show at 3 p.m.

Sponsors include Presenting Sponsor Pink Pirate Customs; What A Pal! Sponsors Parrish Family Chiropractic and Hendry County Sheriff’s Office; Good Buddy Sponsors Camp Kindness and Mr. Lucky Dog’s Sanctuary; Partner the City of LaBelle and Advertising Partner Hendry County Tourism.

Organized by LaBelle Downtown Revitalization Corporation (LDRC), proceeds from the event support current and future LDRC projects to increase the value of downtown LaBelle in its revitalization and beautification efforts, while providing a fun way for people to enjoy fall festivities with their pets.

Of note is the number of participants in Lenny’s Downtown Doxie Dash, which increased from 35 participants in 2021 and eight in 2020. The Doxie Dash was renamed Lenny’s Doxie Dash in honor of Lenny LaForest, who in years past helped coordinate the event.

There’s still time to register to participate as a Howl-O-Ween vendor by visiting https://www.downtownlabelle.com/howloween to complete an application. The deadline is Monday, Oct. 16.

Registration applications for the Doxie Dash and Pet Costume Contest can also be found at https://www.downtownlabelle.com/howloween.