With creative builds for pets that are a far howl from your typical dog house or cat condo, Triangle Barkitecture is coming back to Downtown Cary Park on Saturday.
Barkitecture founder and president Joshua Thomasson told The Line that the free event is designed for people (and leashed pets) to meander and explore different pet-related activities.
That includes voting for the People’s Choice award among the unique structures designed for pets, a Halloween pet costume contest, and a kitten cuddle room.
This year the group hopes to exceed the $200,000 total amount raised by Barkitecture for local animal rescue organizations Hope Animal Rescue, German Shepherd Rescue and Adoptions, Paws for Life NC, and Connie’s Kittens.
Triangle Barkitecture is the convergence of two interests for Thomasson, who works as an architect: “I grew up with pets, and I was an only child, so pets were my best friends growing up and my adventure buddies.”
The first event in 2019 was a partnership with the local American Institute of Architects chapter (AIA Triangle).
It’s grown ever since. Last year Barkitecture became its own volunteer-run nonprofit organization that shares a toolkit for an event with other groups for free–as long as proceeds go to animal rescue charities. One place it’s taken off is in New Jersey, where a Newark-area group will host its second Barkitecture event in Hackettstown this weekend.
In Cary, Thomasson expects 17 original builds at the Saturday event, including a first-ever build for chickens. There are some higher-end creations this year, and part of the fun is to see people thinking outside the box of what good design is for pets, he said.
“You have something that’s either a focal point in your house that your pet really loves, made for them, inspired by them,” Thomasson said. “Those (are) really nice moments that connect us and make us feel close with our pets.”
Past designs that stand out to Thomasson include redesigned coffee tables to include space for pets. Another was a cat playground based on a treehouse book series–”I thought that was really unique and whimsical.”Â
The quality has evolved over the years, too. Teams take it seriously, working with local fabricators on one-of-a-kind creations, Thommason said.Â
The event also includes 20 rescues and nonprofits, plus a vendor fair, so attendees can shop and meet adoptable pets.
“The kitten cuddle room is something we’re extremely proud of, in partnership with Connie’s Kittens. I think it’s a pretty unique concept that allows us to have a safe space that people can come, and they can sit in a space with these cats,” Thommason said. “She has these really nice little pens set up that you can set and play with the cats and really experience their personalities.”
The Halloween costume contest is back, with registration in the Great Lawn Pavilion required by 2:15 p.m. for the 2:30 p.m. contest: “Your pets walk the black carpet to show off their Halloween costumes.”
The event also encourages people to donate pet food and litter for The Safe Haven for Cats Pet Food Pantry. It’s a resource for people who need assistance to feed their pets, keeping them in their homes instead of going back to the shelter because of food insecurity.
The event wraps up with an awards ceremony, with a panel of experts deciding Best in Show and other awards for the builds, the attendee-determined People’s Choice Award, and a new award given by participating nonprofit organizations.
“It’s about having a lot of fun. It’s meeting like-minded people in our community that have this passion for helping pets and their pets are special to them.”
How to go: 1-5 p.m. Saturday at Downtown Cary Park, full schedule here.
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