Tour de Corgi is just around the corg-ner (get it? no? I'm sorry).

The corgi-themed costume contest and parade will take place next Saturday (September 28) in Old Town Fort Collins, and corgi owners and spectators alike are all welcome.

I was able to get the inside scoop from Tour de Corgi committee members Malini Bartels and Sarah Blessing (along with their adorable special guests Gary and Yogi).

Sarah and Malini with their corgis Gary and Yogi.
Sarah and Malini with their corgis Gary and Yogi.
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Here's what I learned:

1. Tour de Corgi originally started as a small get-together. 

Founder Tracy Stewart wanted to arrange a play-date for her corgi, so she created a Facebook event for her and a few close friends. However, without realizing, she accidentally made the event public.

"It kept getting shared and shared and shared," Malini said. "The next thing you know over a thousand people are saying they're coming to this event."

Stewart then worked with the city to get a permit, and Tour de Corgi was born.

2. Corgis are smiley, sassy, and yappy. 

"They were originally bread to be herding dogs," said Sarah. "So that they were low to the ground so they could run underneath sheep and cattle."

These herding instincts give corgis a strong and sassy personality that the two refer to as "little man syndrome." But all this sass also equals tons of fun.

3. The event takes place at Civic Center Park in Old Town. 

Registration costs $5 and starts at Civic Center Park at 10 a.m. The costume contest will start fifteen minutes later, with the parade starting around noon.

If you can't make it to the costume contest, the parade will continue all throughout Old Town. The map for the parade, as well as online registration, can be found on their website.

4. This year's parade is biker themed.

There are seven different categories for the costume contest, including the best biker or best biker gang. The winners will receive a gift basket, but t-shirts and other merchandise will be available for anyone to purchase at the event.

"The theme is just kind of for fun," Malini said. "You don't have to do something that is related to that."

5. Proceeds from the event go towards charities and non-profits. 

Funds raised from the event will be donated to 4 Paws Pet Pantry, Low Riders of the West, and Wyoming Dachshund and Corgi Rescue.

These organizations work to keep dogs out of shelters and into loving homes. Corgis are also prone to have hip problems due to their short stature, so the charities also work to get wheelchairs and other amenities for these corgis in need.


To learn more about Tour de Corgi, listen to the full interview with Malini and Sarah (and Gary and Yogi) below.

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