Dewey, a 6-year-old Chihuahua mix dressed as a carrot, sits with owner Giona Lavorini, 7, of Jefferson Township at the annual pet parade in Saxonburg Monday.

SAXONBURG — Dewey was a carrot.

That's just the thing about the pet parade — the annual kickoff to the Saxonburg VFC Fireman's Carnival and, for many residents, the traditional start to summer.

Only your imagination limits who or what persona you'll take to parade down Main Street.

Dewey, for example, is really a 6-year-old Chihuahua mix. His carrot costume was a year in the making.

Owner and mastermind 7-year-old Giona Lavorini of Jefferson Township attended the parade for the first time last year and had been plotting her pet's masquerade ever since.

“I wanted a vegetable,” she said, noting the risk since her other pet is a guinea pig who loves to eat carrots.

Also mingled in the crowd were a giant share of princesses, cartoon characters and tutus. They outfitted big dogs, little dogs, goats, rabbits, a cow, horses and a snail.

John Mack, 11, and his sister Lindsay, 7, of Renfrew brought the pair of goldfish they got from a school science project — Sophia and Boo Jr. — staged as the fish bowl game.“You know, like at the carnival, you throw ping pong balls and win a fish,” Lindsay said.Michael and Kathy Yost employed a Star Wars theme and brought their 6-year-old Lab dressed as, “dog vader.”Will Schalm, 6, and brother Walker, 10, came dressed as characters from the television show “Duck Dynasty” complete with ducks from their Saxonburg area farm.<BR></BR><BR></BR>

“He's a plain old dog,” Doreen Blackburn of Saxonburg said of Lilly, one of her three pet entries. The other two were full-grown horses.“I do this every year, and I look forward to it,” Blackburn said. “I've been doing it my whole life. You have to ... it's a Saxonburg thing. It's what makes us.”This year's judges, Mayor Sue Bauman, District Judge Sue Haggerty and resident Sue Yacono, said they had a hard time picking winners.The fairgrounds will be open nightly from 6 to 11 p.m., with children's matinees from 1 to 6 p.m. Wednesday and Saturday.The Fireman's Parade is Thursday.<BR></BR><BR></BR>

Chunk sports a hat and sunglasses for his owner, Ashton Fry of Karns City. The parade marks the start of the Saxonburg VFC Fireman's Carnival.

Hunter Dannelley, 4, of Renfrew rides his pony dressed as a train down Main Street in Saxonburg on Monday.