By Julie Cook
Events & Promotions Director

Downtown Lee’s Summit Main Street hosted its annual Boos, Barks & Badges Halloween Parade on Saturday, October 27th. The event began at 9 a.m. with the Costume Contest in City Hall Plaza, featuring categories for Favorite Family, Boy, Girl, Pet, and Most Unique. Judges for the event were Lee’s Summit Police Chief Travis Forbes, Lee’s Summit Fire Chief Rick Poeschl, and Mayor Bill Baird. They had the difficult task of selecting winners, and this year’s slate featured some fierce competitors.

Fiercest among them was pug Noah Kern, who won 1st Place for Favorite Pet for his cowboy costume, complete with overalls and a straw hat. Katie and Eli Allgood donned matching outfits with their pup Gracie Lou, dressed up as a “sheep dog,” to take home 2nd Place for Favorite Pet.

Leo Gibson proudly held his 2nd Place trophy for Favorite Boy for his astronaut costume. Visit the Downtown Lee’s Summit Facebook page for more pictures of Costume Contest award winners.
At 10 a.m. nearly 3,000 people flooded the streets for the parade down Third Street. No one went home empty-handed, as over 30 downtown businesses handed out candy to trick-or-treaters after the parade.

The Boos, Barks & Badges Halloween Parade is presented by the Lee’s Summit Police and Fire Departments, Downtown Main Street, and sponsored by Renewal by Andersen. Parade attendees visited displays from the Lee’s Summit Police and Fire Department’s K9 Unit, SWAT Team, Haz-Mat Unit, and more.

Downtown Lee’s Summit Main Street is a 501c3 nonprofit organization dedicated to the revitalization and preservation of historic Downtown Lee’s Summit. For more information about this event or other upcoming Downtown Lee’s Summit events, visit www.downtownls.org/events.

Downtown Lee’s Summit is a multiple state and national award-winner for excellence in downtown revitalization, including the 2010 Great American Main Street Award®, which the National Trust Main Street Center gives to only five communities across the nation every year. Rich in history, Downtown Lee’s Summit is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Its strong ties to the railroad continue to this day — visitors can hop on a passenger train and arrive at the Amtrak station in Downtown Lee’s Summit for a memorable trip. With more than 40 distinctive retail shops, and many restaurants and bars ranging from upscale to laid-back, Downtown Lee’s Summit is an eclectic and fun place to visit. New residential lofts and adjacent historic neighborhoods also make Downtown Lee’s Summit an exceptional place to call home. A unique combination of preservation of history and place, with progressive attitudes and entrepreneurship, make Downtown Lee’s Summit a great place to live, shop, eat and play.