By Linda Girardi For The Beacon-News July 14, 2012 8:16PM
Andrea Little(left), 3, leans in to give Terri Mate's(right) 10-week-old "chiweenie" puppy a kiss at Batavia's Windmill City Festival pet parade on Saturday July 14, 2012. | Katherine Peters~Sun-Times Media
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Updated: July 15, 2012 2:58AM
The Batavia Windmill City Festival staged an ?America?s Got Talent?-style pet parade and show featuring pooches of all breeds, a hamster, hedgehog and rabbit.
?We are happy for the nice weather ? it rained cats and dogs yesterday,? said Craig Foltos, master of ceremonies and owner of Foltos Tonsorial Parlor of Batavia.
?I almost stepped in a poodle,? Foltos said amid laughter from his audience.
On Saturday, dozens of beloved four-legged friends and their owners waited to take the stage ? after a 15-minute loop down Wilson Street between Island Avenue and North Water Street ? and win the hearts of judges in several categories, from most-wagging tail to best kisser.
Ten-year old twins Sophie and Mia Chahmirzadi of Batavia showcased their Boston terriers named Silly and Lulu, with hopes the canines would roll over for the audience and win the best trick category.
?It?s funny how the dogs do it at home, but when they get on stage they just lie there,? Sophie said.
The pets were decked in pink doggy T-shirts, so they were hoping to place in another category. ?We?re hoping for best costume,? Mia said.
Foltos obliged when the girls thought it was a good idea to have music accompany the act, by breaking into a stanza of ?Some Enchanting Evening? and then congratulated them for doing a ?good job? in the performance.
The annual Windmill City Festival, organized by the Batavia Park District and Batavia Chamber of Commerce, has long been a staple of the community and a tradition for families.
?My wife said to me she doesn?t know of anywhere else where people can run into old friends accidentally without having to make plans to meet somewhere,? said Roger Breisch, executive director of the Batavia Chamber of Commerce. ?Everybody shows up and sees friends they haven?t seen in a year ? it brings the community together.?
Silvia Pelech and her two children, Ben, 7 and Julia, 10, were hoping for a repeat victory in the annual pet contest when they entered their 1-pound hedgehog ? a nocturnal animal that has a personality like a hamster but likes to eat cat food.
?He is a very sweet animal and a little prickly,? Pelech said.
The hedgehog last year placed first in the ?most unusual? pet category. ?He?s a champ, and we?re hoping he will hold his championship,? the mother said.
Wendy Cool of St. Charles entered her tea cup-size Pomeranian named Maui, outfitted in a blue chiffon tutu. ?She?s a ?Devil in a Blue Dress? but really an angel ? she enjoys being out and about,? Cool said.
The Fox Valley Animal Welfare League had a station to showcase its new facility in North Aurora and encourage pet owners to spay and neuter their dogs and cats. The clinic?s volunteer surgical assistant, Marybeth Kingsley, said the pet parade is a way for dogs to socialize and families to get out with one another.
An 8-year old black Labrador named Audrey slumbered in to the activity costumed in a pink tutu as though a tad off-paw by all of the attention. ?She?s a little bit shy ? my daughter likes to think the dog is a ballerina,? said Mike Milanowski. ?Our dog means everything to our family.?
As for those animal jokes, they continued through the animal talent show. ?It?s so crowded here I can hardly moo ?,? Foltos said. ?That?s an udder-ly ridiculous thing for me to say.?
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