Ghosts, goblins, and good dogs at Haystack Pet Parade

Despite an early threat of rain, plus the presence of twenty some leaping dogs in Halloween costumes, and a few mysterious ghosts and goblins, the First Annual Norfolk Haystack Pet Parade went off without a hitch. 

Overlooking the City Meadow with Haystack Mountain in the distance, the newly enhanced Robertson Plaza in the center of Norfolk was the perfect spot for the lively event, which attracted folks from eight months to eighty years, and their pets.

Organizer Vishal Grover, treasurer of the Norfolk Foundation said, “Vinita Patterson, a Norfolk resident, approached the Norfolk Foundation with the idea of a Halloween costume pet parade. We have been partnering with Mission Impact, the youth group of the Norfolk Church of Christ UCC, and their Pastor Erick Olsen. They helped organize our Halloween event, baking treats and making popcorn, and decorating. The Norfolk Library and Botelle School have been wonderfully supportive in promoting the event.”

The Norfolk Foundation, founded in 2015, is a nonprofit group whose mission is “to contribute to the vitality and sustainability of Norfolk, particularly in relation to the town’s natural setting and multiple artistic and cultural attractions.”

As the crowd began to gather on the cobblestone plaza, dogs of every size, shape, and breed appeared with their humans, some in coordinating costumes. There was a tiny Bichon bumblebee, a massive Superman boxer, a tail-wagging black bat with wings, a Harry Potter terrier, a tiny Yorkie pirate, a hot dog hound, a pumpkin dachshund, and a boisterous black lab with an iridescent dinosaur costume. A gentle retriever had the proper decorum as Sherlock Holmes, and the dog Pippa wore a blonde wig, re-enacting the iconic photograph of a wind-blown Marilyn Monroe- complete with a grid to stand on.

All the dogs and their owners behaved themselves as they paraded around the plaza under the wise gaze of the Owl of Good Fortune, a bronze sculpture by Norfolk resident Jon Riedeman. There was cider and popcorn, home-baked cookies, candies, and a great display of dog treats that were handed out to each patient and cooperative pooch. Even the sun cooperated.  

Vishal Grover credited his dog Teddy with connecting him with more neighbors in Norfolk, from many walks of life. He quoted from the book “Sapiens” by Yuval Noah Harari: “The dog was the first animal domesticated by Homo sapiens. A 15,000-year bond has yielded a much deeper understanding and affection between humans and dogs than between humans and any other animal.”

Everyone in attendance agreed that the First Annual Haystack Pet Costume Parade was great fun, and will become a Norfolk Halloween tradition.

Erick Olsen and Doreen Kelly with Margaret as a bumblebee. Photo by Jennifer Almquist

Latest News

East Canaan's CowPots to face the 'Sharks'

Amanda Freund of East Canaan will appear on the television show "Shark Tank" on April 4 to pitch CowPots.

Photo by Ruth Epstein

CANAAN — Fans of the television show “Shark Tank,” stay tuned. On Friday, April 4, Amanda Freund of East Canaan will be facing the panel, imploring members to invest in her unique product: cow poop.

Freund and her father Matthew Freund produce and market CowPots, which are made from the abundance of manure found on their dairy farm. Matthew Freund, realizing cows were producing more manure — 100 pounds per cow per day — than was needed for fertilizing fields for crops, came up with the concept of the pots. Years of trial-and-error experimentation finally resulted in success. In 2006 he began selling the biodegradable pots using 100% composted manure to local stores. Now the pots can be found in outlets across the country, as well as internationally.

Keep ReadingShow less
Hotchkiss lacrosse ices Kingswood Oxford 19-0

LAKEVILLE — The Hotchkiss School opened the girls varsity lacrosse season with a big win in the snow against Kingswood Oxford School.

The Bearcats won 19-0 in a decisive performance March 26. Twelve different players scored for Hotchkiss, led by Coco Sheronas with four goals.

Keep ReadingShow less
HVRHS releases second quarter honor roll

FALLS VILLAGE — Principal Ian Strever announces the second quarter marking period Honor Roll at Housatonic Valley Regional High School for the 2024-2025 school year.

Highest Honor Roll

Grade 9: Parker Beach (Cornwall), Mia Belter (Salisbury), Lucas Bryant (Cornwall), Addison Green (Kent), Eliana Lang (Salisbury), Alison McCarron (Kent), Katherine Money (Kent), Mira Norbet (Sharon), Abigail Perotti (North Canaan), Karmela Quinion (North Canaan), Owen Schnepf (Wassaic), Federico Vargas Tobon (Salisbury), Emery Wisell (Kent).

Keep ReadingShow less
Thomas Ditto

ANCRAMDALE — Thomas Ditto of Ancramdale, born Thomas David DeWitt Aug. 11, 1944 in New York City changing his surname to Ditto at marriage, passed peacefully on Pi Day, March 14, 2025. He was a husband, father, artist, scientist, Shakespeare scholar, visionary, inventor, actor, mime, filmmaker, clown, teacher, lecturer, colleague, and friend. Recipient of numerous grants, awards and honors in both the arts and sciences, a Guggenheim and NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts fellow, he was a creative genius beyond his time. In addition to authoring scores of papers, he held several patents and invented the first motion capture system and the Ditto-scope, a radically new kind of telescope. He was a pioneer in computer generated video, film, and performance.

When not hard at work, he was always there to help when needed and he knew how to bring smiles to faces. He loved his family and pets and was supportive of his wife’s cat rescue work.

Keep ReadingShow less