A parade of corgis struts through St. Elmo Tuesday
Hundreds of St. Elmo neighbors and visitors are expected to line St. Elmo Avenue on Tuesday, Oct. 2, for the annual St. Elmo Corgi Parade.
Anyone with a Pembroke Welsh corgi or Cardigan Welsh corgi who wants to participate can show up with their pet at the Incline Railway at 6:30 p.m. The parade starts at 7 p.m. Between 20 to 30 corgis and their owners usually participate in the parade.
“Just for the pure silliness and fun of it,” says longtime parade participant Shell Hunt in response to why the community holds a corgi parade.
St. Elmo Avenue will be closed for the event between Old Mountain Road and Tennessee Avenue from 5 to 9 p.m. Tuesday night.
The parade is among events scheduled across the city in recognition of National Night Out, an annual community-building campaign to promote safe neighborhoods.
Animals come to the event decked out in their fall attire, sportswear or fashionable neckties.
A contest precedes the parade. Two dogs will be named king and queen of the parade and lead the procession. Judges will also give recognition to the furthest-traveling corgi and to dogs meeting other silly superlatives.
“Corgi is a breed that is just kind of funny-looking,” says Hunt. “So we have categories like the longest corgi or the shortest or the biggest ears.”
“People get super excited,” said Hunt. “It’s just about corgi lovers coming together and enjoying the silliness and the sweetness of our favorite dog.”
Contact Yolanda Putman at yputman@ timesfreepress.com or 423757-6431.