2026 Howl-o-ween Family Fest

Howl-o-ween Family Fest is right around the corner! If you’ve been to the festival, you know how pawsitively amazing it is. If you haven’t attended yet, don’t miss this op-paw-tunity to enjoy a day of food, fun, and furry friends…all to fundraise for Marty’s Place Senior Dog Sanctuary.

As our largest fundraiser of the year, Howl-o-ween Family Fest raises funds to help us carry out our mission to provide a safe, loving, and protected environment for senior dogs in need of homes. 

This year’s event takes place on Saturday, October 17 from 12pm to 5pm right on our beautiful sanctuary grounds. Read on for everything you need to know about Howl-o-ween Family Fest!

Before we continue, we want to give a great big THANK YOU to all of our pawsome sponsors, vendors, donors, and volunteers! We couldn’t do it without you.

About Marty’s Place

Marty’s Place was founded in 2015 by Doreen Jakubcak in honor of her senior dog, Marty. Doreen and her family adopted Marty in his elderly years and gave him a safe and loving home until he crossed the rainbow bridge in 2010. You can learn more about how Marty’s Place got started, our mission/vision and other details here.

Marty’s Place is a 501c3 nonprofit organization, and it is the generosity, kindness, and donations from the community that allow us to house senior dogs without homes in the safe, loving, family-like environment of our sanctuary. They receive the physical care and companionship, medical attention, exercise, and affection they need to thrive 365 days a year. 

Howl-o-ween Family Fest

Throughout the year, we fundraise in many ways through events and partnerships with local restaurants, breweries and businesses, planned giving, online shopping, and more. Our biggest fundraiser of the year is on site right at Marty’s Place every October – the annual Howl-o-ween Family Fest, which takes place this year on Saturday, October 17 from 12 noon to 5pm.

There is so much fun packed into the day (for only a $10 admission fee, kids 10 and under are free!) including our most anticipated event – the K9 Costume Contest, agility demonstrations and participation, “Sniff or Treat” nose work station, pup-friendly hayrides, music, vendors, food trucks, gift basket and 50/50 cash raffles, carnival games, and so much more fun for children, adults, and canines. 

Back again this year

• K9 costume contest – everyone’s favorite contest is back with prizes for most creative, best duo/group, best senior (7+) dog costume, and cutest at 2:45 pm!
• A pie eating contest for both canines and their humans – The canine pie eating contests will feature four groups depending on weight, with a 15 dog limit per group, starting at 2pm (see event page for full schedule). If you are a brave human who would like to take on other brave, pie-loving humans (15 person limit), we have a pie eating contest just for you at 2:30pm. Check out our event page for specific sign up and timing information.
• Tik Tok celebrity – Dr. Adam Christman the Dachshund Doc will be emceeing the costume and pie eating contests!
• Local craft beer and wine garden for the adults 21 and over.
  • Old Hights Brewing
  • Working Dog Winery
  • NEW! Non-alcoholic beer options available this year
• Food trucks – check out this year’s delicious lineup. Bone appetite! 
  • Relish the Dog
  • Nomad Pizza
  • The Sandwich Shop Mobile
  • Swal Family Creamery

And much more!

New this year

• K9 Musical Sit Contests – test your dog’s listening skills. Goody bags to the winners!
• Boo-tiful Keepsake Craft Station – make your own clay keepsake to take home. One per person or per dog!
• Petting Zoo – come meet sheep, goats, rabbits, chicken, ducks, and even a donkey! Humans only in the petting zoo.
• On-site Marty’s Place T-shirt Screen Printing by Epoch – limited edition Howl-o-ween event t-shirts available for purchase while supplies last. Every purchase supports Marty’s Place. 

Ways to Participate/Support

• Come to the event! Tickets for admission are $10 per person and children under 10 are free. Plan to stay for as long as possible as we have a fantastic schedule of activities from start to finish. Check out the full schedule here.
• Purchase a 50-50 ticket (50/50 tickets are cash only – $5 per ticket) now or in person at the event. If you’re unable to attend but would like to purchase 50-50 tickets please email: info@martysplace.org. You don’t have to be present to win. Last year’s jackpot was more than $29,000!  
• Become a sponsor. Sponsorship opportunities are still available: Check out the event offerings for more information.
• Donate. Can’t join the event? You can still support this cause by donating online! 

Tips to optimize your fun at Howl-o-ween Family Fest

• Check the activity schedule and plan accordingly! There are so many fun activities happening throughout the day so you don’t want to miss anything. And some – like the costume and pie eating contests – require registration. To get all the times, visit our event page.
• Bring a chair or blanket. While we provide tables and chairs and hay bales for seating near the main stage, you are welcome to bring your own lawn chairs or blankets.
• Bring your dog! Well socialized dogs are welcome. Dogs must be leashed (not longer than 6ft leash, no retractable leashes) at all times and you are responsible for cleaning up after your pet.
• Bring your kids! Children are welcome at the event but should be supervised at all times. Children are not permitted to climb on the farm equipment, are not allowed in the beer garden and should be respectful when approaching unfamiliar dogs.
• Be prepared with payment methods. 50-50 tickets are cash only, and cash is preferred for entry fee. Elsewhere in the event cash, check, credit card, Venmo, Zelle and PayPal will be accepted.
• Have questions that weren’t answered here? Visit our event page for more FAQs.

How you can help Marty’s Place and senior dogs

The money raised from Howl-o-ween supports dogs not only living at Marty’s Place, but also our forever foster program and senior pet assistance programs. 

Our lifelong foster program enables us to save the lives of more dogs by safely placing them in well-vetted forever homes. We make it affordable by providing financial assistance for our fostered dogs as we cover expenses for medical care, food and basic supplies. 

Our Senior Pet Assistance Program provides financial assistance to qualified senior citizens, making it possible to keep senior dogs in their homes despite financial challenges they may face. This program covers veterinarian visits for certain preventative screenings, food and medicine, medical grooming and dental care. If specialty care is needed, this will be considered on an individual basis.

We are always looking to expand the number of dogs we help. Your generosity is how we make this happen. Please consider attending Howl-o-ween or donating in other ways. We can’t wait to see you and your family (human and canine) on October 17 at the Howl-o-ween Family Fest. The staff, volunteers and pups are all so grateful for your support!