A highly-anticipated and well-attended annual kickoff to the holiday season is the Scottish Walk Parade in Old Town Alexandria. The 40th annual parade is this Saturday Dec. 4 from 11 am to 1 pm, rain or shine.
The event draws more than 30,000 attendees to celebrate the season with Scottish military regiments, highlanders, school bands, citizen groups and associations, Scottish clan societies and local and regional political leaders riding in vintage cars loaned by antique car club members.
More than a dozen groups representing dog breed and rescue organizations of dog breeds originating in Scotland will be marching, including GRREAT (Golden Retriever Rescue, Education and Training) and Westie Rescue.
It’s a great event to get bundled up in comfy sweaters and scarves (preferably a Scottish tartan), pick up a steaming hot latte to go, and bring your pooch for a festive afternoon outdoors in dog-friendly Old Town. The parade does draw thousands of viewers and can get loud with bagpipes and wailing fire engines, so make sure your dog is comfortable with a fairly high level of chaos. Many businesses in Old Town welcome well-behaved pets, but be sure to ask first before bringing your dog into a shop.
The parade begins at Wilkes and South St. Asaph Streets and ends at Market Square on King Street.
Two Dog Tales 
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