Pet lovers invited to put on the dogs

Here it is – your chance to put on the dog – and take your creativity for a walk. Bring your favorite pooch to the Downtown Dog Day Designer Fashion Show 11 a.m.-noon Saturday, Aug. 19, in Bangor’s Pickering Square where tails will be wagging about the latest trends in canine couture. Those trends, of course, will be determined that day by the dogs’ owners. This event sits up and begs for the imaginative approach to dressing up doggie.

Dogs and their owners are invited to walk down the fashion runway for a chance to win prizes for best handmade costume, best presentation, best tail, best ears and best in show. Special recognition will be given to owners who coordinate their attire with their dogs’ costumes. Poodle skirts, anyone?

Two judges, Liana Buckman and yours truly – and I am actually a cat person, but don’t tell the pups – will evaluate the participants as they sashay down the runway. (Actually, I have known and loved a few dogs – Bitsy, the partly cocker spaniel who saw me through my teenage years; Floyd the Pekingese who lived with me a few weeks in Nebraska until his mom found a dog-friendly apartment; Buddy, the mostly border collie who lives on Buck Street in Bangor and has the honor of being designated the Neighborhood Dog; and Phoenix, the polite Sheltie my son used to dog-sit. Given that history, perhaps I will be deserving of a few dog kisses at the event.)

Participants in the doggie fashion show will register just before the event and be assigned a number for a turn to strut their stuff. Costumes may be purchased or handmade. Dogs must be properly leashed. Leashes could be considered part of the ensemble if one’s imagination leans toward accessories.

Appropriate music on CD will be played as the dogs and their people walk down the runway – “Walking the Dog,” “Rescue Me,” “Who Let the Dogs Out,” etc. Maybe even “How Much is that Doggie in the Window.”

A photo of each dog will be taken and posted on the city of Bangor Web site, www.downtownbangor.com.

Dogs will be judged on overall presentation – obedience, grooming, costume and coordination with owner’s costume; special features – ears, tail and markings; and costumes – style and execution.

Each participant will receive a certificate from the city of Bangor.

No matter which pups walk away with the prizes during Downtown Dog Days, one thing is certain – the four-footed friends in the show will have their 15 minutes of fashion fame.

Snippets

Pine Tree Quilters Guild Inc. will present its 29th annual quilt show 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday, July 28 and 29, and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday, July 30, at the Bangor Civic Center.

Five hundred twenty-three quilted items will be on display, including an antique quilt exhibit of “potholder quilts,” art quilts, special national exhibit of “Quilted Fairy Tales” by Linda M. Poole and Lobstah Chowdah Challenge quilts. The lobster is the theme for the quilt show.

Sylvia Arno of Turner was selected by guild members to be honored at this year’s Meet the Quilter event. Fifteen of her quilts will be showcased in a special exhibit. Arno will be on hand to talk about her life and quilting.

A silent auction of small wall quilts and tote bags will benefit the Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence.

Lectures, free demonstrations, 46 vendors from across Maine and the United States and nationally known instructors also will be part of the event. Appraisals of antique, vintage and contemporary quilts will be available.

Daily admission is $7, children 12 and under are admitted free with adult admission. A Champagne Preview will take place 7-9 p.m. Thursday, July 27. The cost is $10.

Call Ardeana Hamlin at 990-8153, or e-mail ahamlin@bangordailynews.net.