The award winning street fair for dogs and the humans who love them is back! Friends for Life Animal Rescue's 25th annual BARKtoberfest is set for this weekend in Gilbert.
From 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. this Saturday, Oct. 21 the festival will be going strong outside the Friends for Life Adoption Center, located in Gilbert at 952 W. Melody Ave. Admission is free, with minimum donations for some activities.
Enjoy food trucks, vendor booths, DogVinci paintings created by your dog, lure and agility courses, contests, raffle prizes, kiddie korner, fun for everyone and, of course, cat and dog adoptions. Admission is free, but some activities, like the popular Lure Course, require a donation to participate. So don't forget to bring some cash for donations so your dog can participate in all the fun activities while donating to a tax-deductible cause.
All funds raised from this event aid in helping Friends for Life save the lives of homeless dogs and cats in our community.
"We are always so excited for BARKtoberfest! Not only is it a fun, fantastic event for celebrating the human/animal bond, it is also Friends for Life's largest single day fundraiser annually," said Kathy Dunham, volunteer president of Friends for Life. "The success of this event allows us to complete our mission of rescuing, rehabilitating and finding loving homes for the stray animals of our community. This is a very special year for Friends for Life as it is our 30th anniversary as a rescue, as well as the 25th annual BARKtoberfest."
Last year, they added "trick or treating for the human kids" as well. And if you're looking for a new furry friend, both dog and cat adoptions will be going on inside the rescue's adoption center.
Activities include:
- Food trucks
- Vendor booths of all kinds
- Dog wash
- Lure Course
- Agility Course
- DogVinci paintings created by your dog
- Raffle prizes
- Friends for Life alumni dog parade
- Trick or treating for human kids
Schedule of events:
- 8 a.m. Kickoff of ongoing events for the day like Lure Course & Agility, DogVinci painting and much more.
- 8:30 a.m. Accelerant Dog Demonstration
- 9 a.m. Costume Contest
- 10 a.m. Best Trick Contest
- 10:30 a.m. Canine Idol Howling Contest
- 11 a.m. Alumni Dog Parade
- 12:30 p.m. Raffle Drawings and ongoing event winners
If you adopted a dog from Friends for Life, you don't want to miss participating in the Alumni Dog Parade. Alumni bandannas will be available for a $5 donation at the re-tail booth.
Friends for Life Animal Rescue is a no kill, registered 501(c)(3), nonprofit, volunteer-based organization that's been around since 1993 focusing on rescue, adoption and spay/neuter education. For more information on Friends for Life, visit AzFriends.org.
