Thanksgiving Doggie Trot 2023 a Big Hit in Northeast Lynbrook

Tradition tells us that the animal most associated with Thanksgiving is the unfortunate turkey that ends up on the dinner table. But, for those in northeast Lynbrook, the gobbler shares some of its holiday glory with everyone’s real favorite, the lovable family dog. That was on display this past Saturday afternoon as the corner of Driving Park Avenue and Edmund Street—just around the block from Maier’s Brick Café on Lakeview Avenue—was taken over by an adorable and burgeoning pack of twenty-five+ dachshunds, greyhounds, bulldogs, chihuahuas and goldens, eager to display their wares at this year’s Thanksgiving Doggie Trot.

Continuing to originate 21st century holiday traditions and serving as beloved local tastemakers, the hosts of the event—James and Dieter—followed up last month’s wildly successful Halloween Doggie Trot with the second annual Turkey Day Doggie Trot. Friends and neighbors from Lynbrook and Malverne showed up on a crisp, sunny afternoon with their four-legged friends in tow and enjoyed hot apple cider, home-made donuts courtesy of “Ruth’s Bakery,” and all sorts of Stew Leonard’s scones, muffins, snacks and goodies inside two large canopy tents set up in the hosts’ driveway. While the humans munched and chatted about their Thanksgiving Day overindulging, the little fellas—Cash, Cooper, Winston, Zoe, Bear, Buddy, Max, Sophie, et. al.—greeted each other in their own unique ways, sniffing up a storm and good-naturedly barking hellos to each other.

One talented local craftswoman—Daniella—had constructed for the event an elaborate and professional-looking oversized papier-mache turkey, arrayed in fall colors and mesmerizing many of the canines at the event, which were confused at the sight of a pony-sized turkey sporting a blue top hat in their midst! In addition, a “photo booth” with a large Thanksgiving motif backdrop was utilized by all, as each dog / owner pair posed for the camera. One handy photographer brought along a ladder and took group photos from on high, attempting to chronicle the totality of the festive event. The phrase “herding cats” comes to mind here!

Soon enough, though, the Trot began. A young local—Natalya—cheerfully led the parade, pulling a cart carrying the papier mache turkey; tunes from the likes of Louis Armstrong, Dinah Washington and Karen Carpenter courtesy of a hidden Bose Bluetooth speaker encouraged the marchers with holiday-appropriate tunes. Meanwhile, a Lynbrook boy walking the route with his parents and siblings serenaded all with his harmonica.

The group of thirty-five-or-so owners sashayed with their dogs west on Driving Park, south on Chestnut, east on Oak, back north on Christabel and ended up back on Edmund, delighting neighbors who were out raking their lawns and enjoying the crisp fall air. Car drivers passing through patiently laid off their horns and navigated the cluster of pooches gracefully as they drove slowly by, taking in the scope of the four- and two-legged spectacle! Adding to the merriment, one very young lady at the Donovan residence on Christabel tossed sticks out to the fellas as they passed by, all the while holding up a homemade sign that read, “Go, Doggies, Go! Fetch the Sticks!,” as her amused father looked on.

James, the event’s organizer and promotional cheerleader, noted afterward, “The Thanksgiving Doggie Trot was a success once again. It brought our community together in a heart-warming celebration of furry friends and festive spirit!”

Apparently stepping right out of a Norman Rockwell painting, this year's Thanksgiving Doggie Trot was a wonderful event that taught us humans yet again the lesson that nothing can bring people together . . . like the love of a good dog!!

--Brian Howell