On Labor Day 2019, the whole family (that means the dog too), attended the Connecticut Renaissance Fair in Lebanon, CT. This is one of the only fairs in the region that allows pets any day of the fair, however opening weekend was pet-themed. Tovi put on her only costume to date; Master Splinter of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, which she also wore for Halloween last year.
Tovi does very well in crowds. We think the over-stimulation quickly desensitizes her to approaching strangers, other dogs, weird costumes and loud noises. Things which she may otherwise bark at if there were nothing else going on. Here she is calmly sitting with Jake while he had his hair braided. Everyone just loved her “shirt” (it’s a gi, but I put the V-neck in front so you can’t really see it from our human vantage point).
Here are the finished braids. I’m very pleased with the beard beads. In this photo we were enjoying some blueberry hard cider while watching grown men and women in full armor, both hard and soft kits, wack each other with real weapons.
We attended the fair with dear friends and newly weds who also enjoy dreary weather and dressing up. They had just returned from a honeymoon in Scotland, so this overcast drizzle was nothing for them. I should have gotten some full-body shots to show off Ben’s new authentic kilt.
Overall, we made out pretty well in terms of getting our money’s worth for the day. Jake won an ax-throwing competition and won himself a fine and expensive sword. You’ll see him mid-throw below.
Tovi won the pet costume contest (here she is in her full costume) and won a professional photo at the fair photo booth which we plan to use next time we attend the fair because it had already been drizzling on us all day. The sai and belt for the gi featured below were only worn for the contest because they’re not especially comfortable for the pup and she drops the sai a lot. Doesn’t she make a good little rat?
Here Tovi is on stage strutting her stuff. She did a few tricks for the….crowd. Again, it was raining on and off by this point so there weren’t many spectators for the pet event. She had a lot of fun hanging out with other dogs though.
My contributions for the day? Well, I earned us return tickets to the fair by spending enough money in the marketplace.
