Park Slope is on a stroll!
Fifth Avenue went to the dogs — the dressed-up dogs — on Friday night when a canine fashion show took place outside Freddy’s Bar as part of a weekend packed with Summer Stroll street fairs. The parties were planned to bring fun to areas skipped by previous block parties — and they succeeded, an organizer said.
“We tried to include sections of Fifth Avenue that don’t have the Street Fair in May,” said Park Slope Fifth Avenue Business Improvement District spokesman Mark Casserta, referring to the Fabulous Fifth Avenue Street Fair his organization threw back in May. “By the time we closed up on Friday night, people didn’t want to leave.”
The festivities also touched down on Saturday along Seventh Avenue, but, alongside fire-breathers, face-painting, and chess throwdowns, the canines strutting the catwalk at Freddy’s were probably the biggest attraction. An English bulldog named Lola fetched top honor from amid a field of 20 competitors with her pink-tutu-and-skull-bandana-ensemble.
“Everybody loves her because she’s just like, a big cartoon character,” said Rob Pecha, Lola’s proud owner. “We already knew she was cute, but it was nice to get the same reaction from the community.”
The block parties return to Fifth Avenue on July 25 and Seventh Avenue on July 26.
“Summer Strolls,” (Fifth Avenue between 11th and 18th streets in Park Slope). July 25, 5–9 pm. (Seventh Avenue between Ninth and 16th streets in Park Slope). July 26, noon–5 pm.
