Be a part of Knoxville's Mardi Growl! The festivities begin with the third annual costume parade for dogs and their owners at 11 a.m., Saturday, February 13, to be followed by a festival on Market Square from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m.

Day-of-event Parade registration begins at 9 a.m., Saturday, at the corner of Summit Hill Drive and Central Avenue and is $15 per dog. The first 750 participants will receive a doggie goody bag.

The Mardi Growl parade will start from the corner of Central Avenue and Summit Hill Drive, the site of the city's new PetSafe Downtown Dog Park, and ends in Market Square.

Charlie, a three-year-old St. Bernard mix, will serve as the canine grand marshal and will be accompanied by WBIR-TV reporter Erin Donovan. Charlie arrived at Young-Williams last year suffering from a major infection and heartworm disease. 
 
Knoxville's Mardi Growl is produced by the Young-Williams Animal Center and the City of Knoxville and proceeds from the event go to support Young-Williams pet adoption efforts. The event is presented by PetSafe Village and Invisible Fence Brand.

Free parking is available to parade participants at the State Street surface lot near the parade's start or in the city's State Street Parking Garage. The nearby Market Square Parking garage also features free parking at night and on weekends.

The parade route will proceed left on Summit Hill Drive before turning left on Gay Street, right on Clinch Avenue and then right on Market Street before it concludes in Market Square. There will be numerous vendors in Market Square offering items pet-related products. In addition there will be $10 microchips and rabies vaccinations available.

For more information about Knoxville's Mardi Growl please call 865-215-6599.

Additional information is also available at http://mardigrowl.org/