Today is Sept. 21, 2023.

• Publisher’s note: Hey everybody, Ben Wolford here. I made a mistake in this morning’s email by duplicating last week’s subject line. That was my fault, so apologies to Tom for that. I’m resending today’s newsletter with the correct title. Everything else below is exactly the same. Sorry for the redundancy!
  

• Welcome back! We’re going to say goodbye to summer with two great days to be outside. Today, it’s going to be partly sunny with a high of 79 and low of 54, then Friday we’ll have mostly sunny skies and a high of 79 again. Fall gets here at 2:50 a.m. Saturday and will bring with it another nice day: partly sunny and a high of 72. Can it really be autumn already?
  

• If you just subscribed or missed something in an earlier newsletter, don’t fret: Subscribers have access to every edition of The Spotlight at www.stowmunroefalls.com. Check out back issues to catch up on everything that’s going on in our communities — you never know what you might have missed! Also, remember that if you don’t have a paid subscription, what you see here is just a fraction of the coverage in today’s newsletter. So be sure to upgrade when you see the paywall. Thanks!

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Stow-Munroe Falls

Dog day afternoon: Costume contests, celebrity judges highlight Paw Fest 2023

Dogs in costumes. Politicians measuring tails. Local media members serving as judges.

Yep, life was a beach — literally — at Paw Fest 2023, which took place Sept. 17 at Bow Wow Beach Dog Park inside Silver Springs Park in Stow. The 16th annual event, sponsored by the Stow-Munroe Falls Lions Club, was a day-long festival of dog contests, speakers, food vendors and a grand raffle.

“The Lions are once again thankful for another successful fundraiser in Paw Fest to continue supporting their eyesight programs and helping the two cities,” event Chair Marty Dennis said. “The dogs enjoyed their ‘beach’ included with sand!”

Among the highlights:

• Local K9 officers provided a demonstration with their dogs.

• Tom Stephan, a longtime member of Stow Players and a retired Stow-Munroe Falls High School teacher, served as master of ceremonies, announcing the dog contests and other activities.

• Stow Mayor John Pribonic and Munroe Falls City Council President Chris Ritzinger were the judges for the “Shortest and Longest Dog Tails” — a crowd favorite every year.

• Peggy and Ed Gallek of Fox 8 News in Cleveland reviewed the many contestants for the “Best Dog Costume in a Parade” (check it out here), while the “Best Howling Dog” attracted many large breeds.

• A fourth contest brought many dogs dressed in their favorite sports costumes.

How Paw Fest came to be …

The idea for the event was hatched 16 years ago when Dick and Marty Dennis, members of the Stow-Munroe Falls Lions Club, visited a similar fundraiser in Florida. And things fell into place from there:

• At the time, the Silver Springs Swimming Park was being closed and Stow’s Bow Wow Beach Dog Park was created.

• Needing a third activity/fundraiser for the many sight programs the Lions Club supports, arrangements were quickly made and approved by then-Stow Mayor Karen Fritschel and local veterinarian Dr. Mary Dubelko.

• With the assistance of the Stow Parks and Recreation Department, Paw Fest became an annual festival to honor the canines and includes various vendors and rescues.

“Paw Fest takes nearly a year to create, but we love it!” event Chair Marty Dennis said.

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