On Saturday, Oct. 28, hundreds of Corgis stormed the Riverside Park Band Shell with their owners, bringing smiles and laughter to all who attended.  Although the afternoon turned out to be cloudy with spurts of rainfall, attendees were still smiling amid the abundance of corgis.

For the third year in a row, Corgis in the Park has been a huge success, gathering crowds from the local Grand Rapids area, as well as a dedicated fan base, travelling from as far as Wisconsin and Florida. Jarl Brey, the founder and mastermind behind Corgis in the Park, has been planning and coordinating this event for three consecutive years, contributing to the public’s already existing excitement for this dog breed.

Jarl Brey says he got the idea from a similar event that happened in California:

“There was a beach day on Huntington Beach in California, and it seemed to have a lot of excitement around it, so I figured there was no reason why we can’t do that in Grand Rapids.”  

Starting out as a Facebook event, Corgis in the Park spread like wildfire.

“Social media really allows it to catapult the event,” Brey said. “The page received over half a million views and about 9,500 people said they were engaged in the event in some way or another, which is incredible.”

Strategically placing the event at the end of October also adds to the excitement. Owners can dress up their corgis in Halloween costumes, enter them into the costume contest or let them simply wander the field being the center of photographic attention.

Several Calvin students quickly got wind of this event and jumped at the opportunity to spend a couple of hours interacting with Corgis.

Sarah Naatz, a junior at Calvin who attended the event, said, “The costumes on the corgis were definitely the best part because they were so creative. There were corgis dressed as dinosaurs, superheroes, food, famous people and more!”
Another student who attended, senior Victoria Johns, said, “Corgis in the Park was amazing. I didn’t think a corgi could be any cuter, but I was wrong. There was a corgi dressed up like a biker.  He had on a leather jacket and some riding goggles.”  

Corgis in the Park is more than just the community sharing their love for a certain dog breed. Brey also turned the event into a fundraising effort for a non-profit group called “Paws with a Cause” (PAWS).

“Even though corgis aren’t used…[as] guidance dogs or assistance dogs,” said Brey, “my breed can bring attention to Paws and what they do at Paws, which is to provide assistance dogs for people with disabilities.”

At Paws with a Cause, workers train dogs to do all sorts of tasks. However, this training can be as expensive as $30,000 to $40,000. Although Corgis in the Park is a fundraising event, Brey works extremely hard to ensure that the public can participate in the event without a fee.

Brey covers the cost of renting the park with out-of-pocket money. During the event, Brey and his volunteers ask for donations, gain sponsors and do a 50/50 raffle to support PAWS.

Brey reflected on the importance of the event, but also the great joy that it brings to the community.

“It’s a place that people can get away from the crazy events of the day, get to pet the dogs, play in the ballpark. The event is really for the dogs, and for people to engage in that, but it’s a really special event. And at the end of the day, everyone leaves there with their faces hurt because they smile so much.”