Video by Nicole Conklin.
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A new kind of celebration took over Old Town last Saturday. In a town famous for beer and bikes, Fort Collins experienced a crowd it had never seen before: the furry feet and happy faces of the first annual Tour de Corgi.
Initiated by Fort Collins resident Tracy Stewart, Tour de Corgi brought together corgi lovers from all over the state of Colorado to celebrate the love of the breed.
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Photos: Caio Pereira
According to the Tour de Corgi Facebook page, a crowd of over 1,000 participants gathered at the northwest corner of Library Park at 11:30 a.m. The parade began by circling the park, then heading up College Avenue and passing through Old Town Square.
Erin Mohat and her corgi Roxy drove all the way up from Denver to attend the event.
“I didn’t know what to expect,” Mohat said. “I thought there would be a lot of people, but I didn’t know there would be this many.”
Corgis and mixes of all shapes and sizes were in attendance, wearing costumes that ranged from superheroes to baristas to pirate ships.
“I’m enjoying seeing that there’s tons of mixed dogs here,” Mohat said. “It’s fun seeing how the breed comes out.”
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Several corgi owners also took advantage of the opportunity to dress up. Some dressed as the Queen of England and others dressed in corgi costumes. Others sported the official 2015 Tour de Corgi t-shirt.
The t-shirt was provided by a Denver based-company fittingly called Cosmic Corgi, which gives a percentage of its proceeds to support animal rescues.
When asked if she would return for another Tour de Corgi, Mohat was enthusiastic in her response.
“Heck yes I would, that would be amazing,” Mohat said.
The Tour de Corgi Facebook page is already raising funds for the 2016 parade, which is expected to draw an even larger crowd.
Collegian Reporter Rachel Fountain can be reached at @collegian.com or on Twitter @rachelcfountain.
