Diamond and the Social Circle Friendship Festival

Yesterday I took Diamond to Downtown Social Circle for the annual “Friendship Festival.” This was 100% Small Town America at its best. The main street was lined with vendors selling everything from temporary tattoos and face-painting to home-crafted soaps, jewelry, fall flowers, baked goods and handbags. The town was adorned with Autumn decorations, and every door along the main street was open, inviting people to come in to visit and shop. And, of course, there was the ever-present perfume of carnival foods. It was a treat for all of our senses.

As Diamond and I strolled up the street, we ran into a few people we knew and stopped to chat for a few minutes. Nobody seemed to be in a hurry as we all delighted in the sunny October day and the festival atmosphere around us. Diamond especially enjoyed the afternoon. She was the recipient of lots of attention, and didn’t notice the few individuals who demonstrated panic and fear upon approaching her on the sidewalk. She was very well behaved as always, and had no idea that there was anyone on earth who didn’t like her.

I was very impressed with the manners of the children that we met. Someone is teaching them well – I’m not sure if it’s their parents or school, but I’m guessing it might be school. As we paused to stop at booths for me to window shop, children would approach me and ask politely, “May I pet your dog?” Of course, my answer was “Certainly, her name is Diamond, and she loves children.” Many parents exhibited surprise at their children for the way they approached us and asked before they stretched out their hands to pet my big girl, which makes me believe they are learning this courtesy somewhere other than home! Diamond and I heard all about their pets, and many wishes that they might someday have a dog, too. They loved her kisses, and were reluctant to rejoin their parents to continue their way down the street. As we were walking, a delightful young woman, obviously with many challenges, was sitting on a park bench with her mother. With speech that was slightly garbled, she called out to me, “I love your dog!” Diamond and I took that as an invitation and walked over to be closer to her. Her mother had a look on her face that is very familiar to me – fear- but her daughter obviously wanted to get to know Diamond better. I reassured Mom that Diamond was friendly, and she relaxed somewhat. The young woman petted Diamond and cooed over her while telling me how much she loved dogs. We talked for a few minutes, and then I gently suggested that it was time for Diamond and me to move on down the street. “Thank you for letting me pet your dog,” the young woman said as we got ready to leave. She bent over to hug Diamond, who responded with a great big kiss on her face. We walked on down the street, still listening to her laughter and recounting to her mom about “that dog’s kiss.”

Diamond loved the afternoon. She met many new friends and got to sniff hotdogs, hamburgers, fries, barbeque, and other assorted treats. While she didn’t get the chance to sample any, she didn’t seem to be disappointed. She was too busy looking for children to love and other dogs to make friends with.

Diamond loved the Social Circle Friendship Festival!