Puns have been ruff to avoid, but, doggone it, Jessica Martin has done her best to paws and maintain control.

“There are so many jokes with something like this,” said Martin, the executive director of Intown Concord. “I’ve definitely had to show some restraint.”

Good luck. It’s nearly impossible to keep a tight leash on corniness when your latest promotion is something called Dogapalooza.

It’s part of Intown’s annual First Friday – a monthly community event to bring people together, held on the first Friday of each month, that began in May.

The next event is this Friday, from 4 to 8 p.m., up and down Main Street. This marks the first time that dogs will take center stage for an event that has always featured music, food and late-night shopping.

Martin gave Emma Stetson, owner of Wine on Main, credit for doing the leg work needed to attract people to Friday’s event. She approached businesses to get the green light, that their stores could stay open late for this special  night.

“She did the outreach and took a supporter list and reached out and asked them if they allow dogs into their businesses, or on their patio,” Martin said. “She needed to know, do they have treats and water? We were trying to brainstorm a way to share the information that people would be excited about.”

Thirty-five stores will keep their lights on late, and many had already adopted a policy to allow dogs in. Martin says this will reinforce that policy to those who don’t know about it.

“The only thing we need is packaging to let people know that (dogs) are welcome,” Martin said. “That is where Intown Concord comes in. Taking pieces of Main Street that make it special and packaging it to say that we already had a dog-friendly town and we want people to know about it.”

Martin hopes that dog owners in and around Concord will lap up the concept of bringing their pooches downtown to showcase what Martin said is “a haven for dogs and their human companions to celebrate the cherished bond between humans and their four-legged friends.”

She’s been leading Intown for three years, promoting downtown as a great place to shop, eat outdoors, grab a coffee, or listen to music in the two main squares during the summertime.

This time, maybe Fido and Spot will press their cold, wet noses against shop windows, leaving a mark that signifies that Concord is, indeed, a dog-friendly place to visit. Martin says people are in for a real treat this time.

“This month is the first time we’ve tried to have a theme,” Martin said.

In events past, businesses remained open until 8 p.m. and there was a food truck as well. Someone played acoustic guitar in Bicentennial Square.

All those features will be included again this time. Plus Britches of Concord, a clothing store in Eagle Square, has partnered with the Concord Community Music School to bring a jazz band to Main Street.

But dogs will be the stars of the show. No question.

“We’re slowly gaining traction and we think this will help,” Martin said. “It takes time to grow because businesses and the community have to buy into it.”

Martin loves dogs. Scarlet, her precious Boxer-beagle mix, died in May. She relayed a story that made her feel better about her loss.

Martin saw what she thought was a golden doodle, alone downtown, looking lost. “Completely by itself,” Martin said.

So she texted a co-worker, telling her that she wanted to help the dog. She told her what type of dog it was and that she would be late coming back to work.

“She sent me a photo from Granite State Dog Recovery,” Martin said. “I said, ‘That’s the dog.’ My co-worker came down with water and chicken. We called Granite State Dog Recovery and they brought the dog’s owner to us. Dogs have been on my mind lately.”

The dog’s name was Peach.

Martin used the story to illustrate that something good came from a policy that allows dogs within the city limits. She said excluding them would be barking up the wrong tree.

She also reminded visitors to bring their dog waste bags, just in case.

Otherwise, you may end up in the doghouse.

]]>