A scene from 2023 (Image: CHS)

It’s already Hilloween season. This weekend brings a costumed start to the festivities with the annual Halloween Pet Parade in Volunteer Park.

The yearly celebration from the Volunteer Park Trust will take place Sunday and will include a costume contest, live music, vendors, food trucks, and the parade led by the 8-Bit Brass Band.

The festivities begin at 11 AM with the parade leading up to the contest on the amphitheater stage starting at 12:30 PM. This year’s categories include Best Pet/Owner Combo, Most Creative, Spookiest Pet, and Best Personality. You can check out pictures from 2023 for inspiration.

Visitors to Volunteer Park accompanied by their four-legged friends, meanwhile, are advised to keep your pals on leash and an eye out for the area’s wild canine citizens. Reports in recent weeks include tales of coyotes stealing shoes, sniffing feet, and exhibiting increasingly nonchalant behaviors around humans and pets. So far, conflicts have been limited by with coyotes seemingly less concerned about making space, it might be a good time for the rest of to enforce some boundaries and help keep our wild friends safe.

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