McKinney, Texas -- Thank you to everyone who participated in the 20th Annual Krewe of Barkus Parade – A Walk Down Memory Lane.  The weather could not have been nicer for our 20th, and after such a miserable week, the sun shone!  Mayor George Fuller & Maylee were there to help us celebrate, as was our new Dixieland Jazz Band – The Big Easy Brass Band. I was so surprised and humbled by the honor the mayor gave me with the proclamation of the day and I was happy to be there sharing it with all of you.

Here’s a Big Barkus thank you to Amanda Kelly, prize & parade organizer, who has been with me 19 out of 20 parades and I could not do this without, Stephanie Farrar, who solicits and gathers prizes from downtown merchants, and Susan Mouser, who organizes and runs the registration & check in, along with Jennifer Dollard and Paula Hermelyn. 

Thanks to Laureen Lehman, who stuffed and handled the swag bags, and also kept lines moving along and things running smoothly with Melissa Rhine, Vanesa Stucki, and Monty Day.  Thank you to David Pine, our website guru. Thank you also to our volunteers Beth, Ava, and Chris for filling in wherever we needed them.  All of our krewe helped in the parade as well. 

Our judges had a monumental task before them, as always! Thank you to Jessica Hogan, Carla Sayle, & Wendolin Mercado. I don’t know how you do it.  Our new City Events coordinator, Gregory Hearns, was an absolute pleasure to work with as was Andrew Jones and Amy Rosenthal.  We’ve got a great team! 

Our photographer, Beth Shumate, filled in at the last minute and is donating the photos of the event, so we will be emailing or texting them to you in the next few days.

And the winners were….

·      Best of Show – The Lady Godiva Memorial Award

o   The Bark 52's/Love Shack – Daisy,  Penny, & Mini with Alisa Meli, Tamra Alami, & Chantell Pickles

·      Best Use of Theme

o   1^st Scooby Doo & The Mystery Machine – Beltre & Rita with Jamie Perrenoud, Sabrina, Andy, Drew & Abby

o   2^nd All American – Prissy, Piper, Pavlova, Paco, & Pickle with Danny & Amy Cox

o   3^rd Mardi Gras – Rouen, Rainey, & Mason with Tim & Debbie Baker and Lisa Hamilton

·      Best Group

o   1^st Charlie & The Chocolate Factory – Quinn, Bandit, & Fritzie with Ashley Hopkins

o   2^nd 101 Dalmatians – Harper with Gray Shutt and family

o   3^rd Decked Out By Decade – Ohana & Brody with Amanda Dominguez

·      Most Memorable

o   1^st Valentines – Tyger with Megan Aeschbach

o   2^nd Pirates – Mie with Verjean Lunenschloss

o   3^rd Target Dog – Sparky with Melina Walker and employees

·      Best Dog/Owner Combo

o   1^st The Sound Of Music – Pebbles with Christie Smistad

o   2^nd Venice Gondoliers – Chloe with Jenny Burr

o   3^rd The Grinch – Bear & Kiki with Terree Stone

·      Floats

o   1^st Lassie/Mardi Gras – Scout with Todd & Sandra Lawhorn, Todd & Michelle Noebel

o   2^nd Bollywood, The Dark Side – Thor & Maxx  with Lisa Herrick & Tristin Mevawala

o   3^rd Beauty & The Beast – Beastie with Emily Emerson & son

 

  ·      Judges' Choice

o   Decked Out By Decade - 50's - Bella Lemons  with Taylor Green as Pink Ladies

o   Decked Out By Decade - 70's -  Con, Rosie, & Stargazer Lilly with Sarah Riehl & Julia Salinsky

 

·         Honorable Mention

o   Decked Out By Decade - 70's -  Beau with Ariel Moir

o   Happy Tails To You - Obi with Vanessa Freeman 

Contestants really outdid themselves this year!  Congratulations!!!  Remember, our parade is always the Sunday before Mardi Gras. The 21st Annual Krewe of Barkus Parade will be held Sunday, February 19, 2023. 

The theme for 2023 is honoring those that make this world a better place, our heroes.  This can cover from superheroes in comic books, to community heroes like first responders, to heroes in history, education, civil rights & medicine, to the everyday heroes in our lives we want to honor. We're going to celebrate people that make a positive contribution to our lives ….2023  Unleash Your Superheroes: Barkus Salutes The Good Dogs.

Much love to all.....Blynda