By D.A. Reed
WKTV Contributor
It was all fun and games for pets and their owners at the Kentwood Parks & Recreation Department’s annual Bark for the Park fundraiser at Kellogg Woods Park on May 18.
This free community event is a dog-friendly fundraiser for enabling the city to add amenities to Kentwood’s Dog Park at Kellogg Woods Park.
“We have a ton of great amenities in our park system for humans, but want our community members to know that if you have a pet at home we have fun, social, safe spaces for them, too,” said Spencer McKellar, Lead Recreation Program Coordinator for KPRD. “We welcome (dogs) in our parks … and welcome them to come out and have fun just like humans do.”
Kentwood Mayor Stephen Kepley agreed, telling WKTV, “We have 54,000 bosses, and what do they want as a service from the city? We heard loud and clear that one of the things that they want is a place where they can take their dogs to play with other dogs and let them run free.”
Kepley went on to say the city has done as the community requested.
“We’ve created dog parks where owners can go to a fenced in area to release their dogs,” Kepley explained. “It’s a way for dogs to play with one another and for their owners to meet other dog owners. Everything costs money and to be able to raise funds to help build new ones and to maintain the ones we have is what we’re doing.”
Due to previous Bark for the Park fundraisers, Kentwood was recently able to purchase and install a drinking fountain near the Kellogg Woods Dog Park.
“This year, and moving forward, the funds raised will hopefully provide shade sails or some kind of shade structure,” McKellar said. “There is not a lot of shade for the dogs, and they get hot.”
Sponsorship dollars and donations enable KPRD to offer free admission to Bark for the Park, though donations are welcome via QR codes throughout the event if participants feel led to do so. Each attendee also was offered a goodie bag full of items from participating sponsors and vendors.
“We invite pet-related businesses and organizations in the area, but also anybody is welcome to sponsor and donate to our event,” McKellar said. “If they do, they are welcome to have a booth here and talk to our community members as they come through.”
Beastro, a restaurant designed specifically to cater to dogs and cats and owned by Jessica Ann Tyson, was one such sponsor at Bark for the Park.
Offering fresh canine cuisine, Beastro’s recipes are created by a Michigan pet nutritionist. “We love making food that is fresh for the animals,” Tyson said.
Dogs are allowed inside the restaurant for dining, or customers can order take out as well.
Also the owner of The Candied Yam on 44th Street, Tyson said she got the idea for Beastro from watching her customers.
“We started this because our customers would come in and they would have to leave their dogs outside, and we watched their dogs while they got their Candied Yam (order),” Tyson said.
Other vendors included Sierra Marie Photography, CLJ Counseling, Kent County Animal Shelter, Dogtopia of Grand Rapids, VCA Animal Hospitals, and many more.
Treats were provided for the dogs at various stations, and Dune Buggy and Underground Cookie Club food trucks were on site to provide food for pet owners.
Various activities included pet craft stations, a dog agility course, photo booth, and a doggie fashion show featuring many costumes and colored hair and fur.
“They get really into it, and it’s fun,” McKellar said.
Attendees included Lainey Dennison, resident of Portage, Michigan, who heard about Bark for the Park through Facebook and attended with her one American Eskimo and four Husky dogs.
“I try to take them out and socialize them,” Dennison said of her well-mannered troupe of canines. “We go into stores and dog parks and stuff, so they are pretty used to this.”
To learn more about Kentwood and the city’s variety of parks, or to submit a donation, visit Kentwood Parks and Recreation.
D. A. (Deborah) Reed is an award-winning author of young adult novels and a creative writing instructor from the Grand Rapids area. To find out more about D.A. Reed, visit her website: D.A. Reed Author
