Fourth Annual "Halloween Doggie Trot" Brings Out the Best in Lynbrook and Malverne Locals

New to the neighborhood? Feeling lonely and disconnected? Trying to find a way to engage with the locals? There’s one tried and true solution: Get a dog! As the Hopeful Neighborhood Project folks put it, “Dogs are a great way to get to know your neighbors, as they serve as a natural conversation starter and create opportunities for social interaction.” Truer words were never spoken.

And evidence of this truism was on display in Lynbrook this past October Sunday afternoon, as the corner of Driving Park Avenue and Edmund Street—just around the corner from Maier’s Brick Cafe on Lakeview Avenue—was taken over by an adorable and burgeoning pack of thirty-five+ dachshunds, greyhounds, Lhasa Apsos, bulldogs, black labs, chihuahuas, German shepherds and goldens, eager to display their wares at the fourth annual “Halloween Doggie Trot,” fast becoming a cherished and ever-growing tradition here in northeast Lynbrook.

Co-hosted, as always, by locals James and Dieter, this spectacle drew nearly ninety humans with their adorable canine companions—accoutered in Halloween paraphernalia—from as far afield as Malverne, Rockville Centre, East Rockaway, Valley Stream and even Stony Brook. The crowd began drifting in around 4:00 and the various fellas did their unique “meet and greets” with their conspecifics, sniffing up a storm and good-naturedly barking hellos to each other. Meanwhile, the dogs’ keepers got to know each other, petted the affectionate little fellas, and laughed at the assorted dog Halloween costumes, consisting of, among others, skeletons, vampires, witches, spiders, sharks and pumpkins, and, more singularly, Pennywise the Dancing Clown, and Sally from The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Among the variety of “store boughten” and homemade costumes—with their owners often sporting matching garb—was Stella, an Italian greyhound, all of six pounds, who had the three Sanderson Sisters from the movie Hocus Pocus riding on her tiny back. Ruth, a majestic brindle greyhound, was arrayed in a robe-and-wig-with-curlers getup, appearing to emulate Mrs. Roper from Three’s Company. Rusty, a teeny Lhasa Apso, was sporting a full-body bear costume. His owners, Delilah and Judy, wore matching bear ears!

Once the bulk of the trotters had arrived, one prescient photographer, who had brought along a tall ladder to take group photos from on high, attempted to chronicle the totality of the festive event. Talk about organized chaos! In addition, a “photo booth” with a large, blue, spooky Halloween motif backdrop was utilized by all, as each dog / owner pair posed for the camera. One local, Christine, corralled Cookie, her overstimulated Shih Tzu, long enough to pose for a photo. Once done, he was off to eagerly fraternize with his peers.

Soon enough, though, it was time for the “Trot.” The assembled group ambled with their dogs east on Driving Park Avenue, south on Chestnut, west on Oak and back north on Edmund. Folks along the route came out of their houses and joined in the merriment, snapping photos and chuckling at the menagerie of costumed canines, with names such as Chloe, Snoopy, Hallie, Jax, Snickers, Skye and Harley. Meanwhile, car drivers passing through patiently laid off their horns and navigated the cluster of pooches gracefully, waving and smiling at costumed dog and human alike as they drove slowly by, and taking in the scope of the four- and two-legged spectacle!

Afterwards, back on Edmund Street, folks enjoyed hot apple cider and all sorts of bakery goodies, such as scones, muffins, cookies and biscotti, and standard Halloween snacks inside the large canopy tent graciously set up in the hosts’ driveway. Two dozen Halloween-themed cupcakes and an assortment of chocolate-covered pretzel sticks from RVC’s Front Street Bakery were a big hit!

As James, the event’s gregarious organizer and promotional cheerleader, and, essentially, the unofficial “Mayor of Northeast Lynbrook,” noted afterward, “We had a great time! The crowd gets bigger each year and the dogs all get along. Just to get the neighborhood together and the dogs and the great weather. Just a great day!”

So, if you’re new to northeast Lynbrook and you’re not sure how to say hello, get yourself a little fella and let him do the talking. Because nothing brings people together like our four-legged friends!