Parents and Children celebrate Halloween at 74th annual Kiwanis Pet Parade

Published 7:24 pm Thursday, October 28, 2021

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AMERICUS – On a spring-like afternoon on Thursday, October 28, hundreds of children, along with their parents, marched through Downtown Americus to take part in the 74th annual Kiwanis Pet Parade, which is hosted annually by the Americus Kiwanis Club.

Children were dressed up in all types of various costumes. From superheroes such as Spiderman, Batman and Captain America to princesses, witches, firemen and astronauts, these children, along with some of their pets, all proudly displayed their costumes as they walked with their parents around an area encompassing Lamar, Forsyth, Jackson and Lee Streets.

Two kids decided to dress up as astronauts for the 74th annual Kiwanis Pet Parade.
Photo by Ken Gustafson

The weather was perfect to have a parade such as this, as the temperature was in the high 70s. It was even more special this year to have the Kiwanis Pet Parade due to the fact that last year’s parade had to be canceled because of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Had the parade been allowed to take place a year ago, this year’s Kiwanis Pet Parade would have been the 75th annual parade, which dates back to 1947.

“We raise money for our local humane society and this parade has been on-going for 75 years,” said Charlene Pennymon, the Lieutenant Governor for Kiwanis’s Division 5, which encompasses 11 counties in Southwest Georgia. “It’s just a program that we love supporting in our community and bringing out our furry friends and kids.”

Kids dressed up as Daffy Duck and some goolish, scaring-looking characters at the 74th annual Kiwanis Pet Parade.
Photo by Ken Gustafson

In addition to the kids dressing up in costumes, kids were also encouraged to dress up their pets as well. Each year at the parade, there are two contests that take place. One is for the child with the best-dressed costume and the other is for both the best- dressed costume and the best-dressed pet.

In the best-dressed costume only category, Savannah Doble won first place for her “Hocus Pocus” costume. JoAnnah Vaughan won second place with her “Cowgirl” costume and Job Grissett won third place with his “Boy Scout” costume.

In the best-dressed costume and best-dressed pet category, the Collins family won first place with their “Wild Thornberries” costumes. Eleven-year-old Kynslee, four-year-old Keller and one-year-old Lincoln Collins were all dressed up in their costumes, as was their yellow pet labrador, Bailey. The second place winner in this category was a group representing Americus Veterinary Hospital. They dressed up as “101 Dalmatians and Cuella Deville”. The third place winners were the children of Blake Hill (ages 8, 6 and six months). They were dressed up as “Jurassic World”, as was their pet, Starsky & Hutch.