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Corgis of all shapes, sizes, colors and mixes flooded into Civic Center Park donning various costumes, barking at one another in excitement. Costumes included a hairy mermaid, a loaf of wonder bread and a hot dog, which was a popular costume this year.
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The 3rd Annual Tour De Corgi, also known as “the corgi parade,” began at 10 p.m. with the costume contest commencing at 10:30 p.m.
Some dog parents even committed to the festivities as well by dressing up in correlating costumes with their furry counterparts. For proud Corgi owners Maggie Boyd and Colorado State University alumni Brandon Boyd, this kind of commitment was key this year. The couple dressed as Nintendo legends Mario and Princess Peach, while their corgi Theodore wore a spiked shell to depict Bowser and his sister Eleanor took on the role of Yoshi.
“The turn out this year is more than last year,” Maggie Boyd said. “And I feel like there is more participation with dressing up and groups dressing up together with their dogs, and that has been really cool to see.”
The couple and their pups hoped to win a prize in one of the costume categories that required a group costume, but a family dressed as the ninja turtles came out as the victors.
The categories for the costume contest included completely creative, prettiest pooch, baddest to the bone, funniest furry, greatest group, cutest couple and like human, like corgi. Winners were awarded dog-oriented prizes.
Participators in the corgi parade and the costume contest were encouraged to register on the official Tour De Corgi website or at an official booth on the day of the event. Registration included a $5 donation, and those who donated received a Tour De Corgi wristband. Official Tour De Corgi T-shirts were available to purchase upon online registration and continue to be available online for $30 to $32. Proceeds from the event went to non-profit organizations including the Wyoming Dachshund and Corgi Rescue and 4 Paws Pet Pantry.
The event began unofficially three years ago, originally existing as a small Corgi meet up organized on Facebook, said Tracy Stewart, a founding member of the Tour De Corgi Committee.
“Some of the people who came were people that I knew, which is who I expected might come, but then hundreds of people came,” Stewart said. “It went viral on Facebook. So, the Tour De Corgi Committee is just those people who are willing to donate their time and effort and energy into putting on the event.”
Stewart also said that the many organizations and sponsoring vendors that held booths at Tour De Corgi this year made the event unique. Some booths present included Wagz Pet Marker & Grooming, Sherwood Pet Portraits, W.O.L.F Sanctuary, Cosmic Corgi, Revolution Artisan Pops and Ivan’s All Natural Doggie Delights, a doggie food truck.
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Stewart said the event is getting better each year and that the affair will continue to be a part of Fort Collins next year. This year, upon registration, participants were provided with a map of the parade, which commenced at noon, to keep dogs and owners from getting lost or confused on the parade route through Old Town. The availability of the route on the Tour De Corgi website caused hundreds of dog-passionate people to line up along the route in true parade fashion to watch the stubby dogs in outrageously cute costumes waddle through the streets. After the festivities ended at 3 p.m., corgis remained scattered around town on restaurant patios and sticking their faces out of car windows.
“We love this corgi event because it helps us to counteract all the negativity in the nation right now,” said Maria Singleton, who brought her granddog, Franky, dressed as Yoda, to the event. “You come to this, and you cannot help but smile and be happy.”
Corgi fun facts:
- Despite their stocky build, Corgis are athletic. They were originally bred to herd.
- In Welsh, “cor” means dwarf and “gi” means dog.
- Queen Elizabeth II has owned more than 30 Corgis
Collegian reporter Miranda Moses can be reached at entertainment@collegian.com or on Twitter @mirandasrad.
