GUID NYCHBURRIS DAY PARADE DUMFRIES – SATURDAY 21^ST JUNE

Well we thought the weather couldn’t be the same 2 years in a row – we were wrong. Although the weather forecast on Thursday said that the rain wouldn’t reach Dumfries for the Saturday, by Friday lunchtime, they predicted a downpour.  They were right!!  Nevertheless, 20 brave adults and 10 plucky children along with over 20 greyhounds, a few lurchers and 2 Westies!! Braved the elements to give the people of Dumfries a glimpse of how mad we are and how keen we are to promote greyhounds as pets. The theme of our entry was “A Fairy Tail Come True” and the idea was to have all the humans dressed as hares. True to his word, Graham arranged for face painters and all members gathered in the Aberdour Hotel in Dumfries to get “dressed” for the day. At the rendezvous point, Graham had banners made and on cue they were shown to the judges.  The first banner read “Once Upon a Time”, the second read “These Greyhounds Chased Hares”, the third read “But Now They Live” and the last (the punchline) read “But Now They Live Happily Ever After!” 

The Judges were so impressed they awarded DCGR the Geordie Dyer Memorial Trophy for the best Walking Entry.  It made what was a miserable day into a bearable one.  As the Best in Class, we were positioned towards the head of the parade and didn’t the public love us – NO, they loved the dogs!!  We got loads of cheers and applause as we walked the route and when the parade stopped for a short time, children ran out to cuddle the greyhounds. A few people even pressed some coins into our hands to help the dogs. Not the best of days for a parade but in promotional terms, the value was incalculable. Graham (our Events Co-ordinator) thanks all the members who assisted on the day as well as Laura and Maggie, the face painters who diid a tremendous job.  Believe it or not, Graham already has his idea for next years Guid Nychburris Day Parade!