Dogs, owners enjoy Lynn Fall Festival

LYNN – Close to 100 Greater Lynners and area businesses celebrated the first day of autumn with their furry friends at Lynn’s annual Fall Festival.Food stalls, blow-up balloon slides and tunnels, a petting zoo and booths from local businesses dotted the Heritage State Park all day Saturday for the fall festival, held on the first official day of the season.View a photo gallery.But one of the festival’s highlights was an annual dog parade, where canines of all shapes and sizes walked their owners down a waterfront sidewalk for a panel of judges and dog lovers.One-year-old Sweet Pea, a chihuahua barely weighing four pounds, shivered in her green and pink dress as her owner, Micki Losanno of Lynn, accepted a certificate for smallest dog.Though the mild fall weather was a bit too cool for her, Losanno said Sweet Pea enjoyed all the attention.”She likes to get dressed up,” she said.Winston, a 185-pound chestnut-haired Newfoundland, was definitely not cold in the 60-degree weather. The panting dog took home the prize for the largest dog at the parade – a title he will likely defend next year as he expects to reach 200 pounds, said his owner, Jenelle Worcester of Revere.She said she and her family enjoyed spending time with other dog lovers at the parade.”We got to see all the different breeds of dogs,” she said.Other winners included Dusty, a five-year-old Corgi/Husky mix from Lynn who was named cutest dog, and Tico, a beagle, was crowned “My Dog Looks Like Me” with Julio Gonzalez of Lynn.The winners received gift cards from Pet Express, a pet shop that has served the Lynn community on Lynnway for 17 years. John Mellace, who co-owns the business with his brother Robert Mellace and sister Lucia Caste, said the company has enjoyed sponsoring the doggie parade for the past six years.”This is a nice way for people to show off their four-legged friends,” he said.Silky Terrier Lucy was blissfully unaware she didn’t receive an award, though her owner, Winthrop resident Silvia Malloy, joked she should have.Malloy said a friend invited her to the festival, and she was surprised by how much Lynn has to offer – from a beautiful park on the water, to a diverse community, to a thriving arts scene.”More communities should do this,” she said. “I think Lynn can be an example for other communities who are struggling.”Amber Parcher can be reached at [email protected].