Wags, Witches & Warlocks 2024

Credit to: Coastal Point, Kerin Magill

Costumes, candy and yoga with puppies? Yes, please.

Wags, Witches & Warlocks is Bethany Beach’s Halloween event, but it means so much more for a local organization. The Bethany Beach Halloween event has been a successful fundraiser for the Brandywine SPCA for more than a decade, according to organizers. This year, Wags, Witches & Warlocks takes place on Saturday, Oct. 26, with registration beginning at 9 a.m. Since 2018, the event has been organized and sponsored by the Leslie Kopp Group, a Bethany Beach real estate business. Shannon McDowell, marketing and brand manager for the business, said this week that the office is full of animal lovers, so the decision on the Halloween event was an easy one. “We all love dogs, and we are all advocates for the humane treatment of animals, so it goes hand-in-hand,” McDowell said.

Wags, Witches & Warlocks kicks off early Saturday morning with a unique event, Yoga with Puppies, led by yoga instructor Megan “M.K.” Tillman, a well-known yoga and barre instructor. The Yoga with Puppies event begins at 8 a.m. at St. Martha’s Episcopal Church, 117 Maplewood Street, Bethany Beach. Preregistration is required for the event, which is appropriate for all ages and levels. “It is mostly puppy snuggles and light stretching,” McDowell said. The cost per participant for Yoga with Puppies is $25. The deadline to register is Friday, Oct. 25. All of the puppies at the event on Saturday will be available for adoption through the Brandywine SPCA, and Yoga with Puppies participants can volunteer to escort them back to the main event area after the class.

Wags, Witches & Warlocks also invites individuals, families, groups — and dogs, of course — to join in a costume parade, which begins at 10 a.m. on Garfield Parkway. Registration costs $20 for individuals, $10 per person for groups or families of four or more, and $10 per dog. The costume contest awards will be announced at 11 a.m. in categories including: Funniest, Scariest, Cutest, Best with a Pet, Best Family, Best Pet and Most Original. Storefronts will also be judged. From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., trick-or-treaters will be able to visit more than 50 businesses in Bethany Beach that will be handing out candy and treats. Flags will identify participating businesses.

While the Halloween event is all about fun, its purpose is a serious one — helping the Brandywine SPCA find homes for up to 17,000 animals each year. As a no-kill shelter (Delaware is one of only two fully no-kill states in the nation), finding good homes for dogs and cats is crucial. “This organization was pivotal in making Delaware the first no-kill animal shelter state, and the work and advocacy for the humane treatment of animals truly speaks for itself,” McDowell said.

At the Leslie Kopp Group, pets are part of the office itself, as well as the lives of many of its employees. McDowell herself has a pup adopted from Brandywine Valley. Her dog Rusty is 3 years old, she said, and is “best of friends” with Mazie, a 2-year-old who was also adopted from the Brandywine Valley SPCA by co-worker Amanda Wallis. Both Rusty and Mazie are familiar faces in the office, McDowell said, adding, “Our office wouldn’t be the same without them.”

“We have raised money for a number of Sussex County animal rescues over the years,” McDowell said. “Since partnering with the Brandywine Valley SPCA in 2018, we have raised nearly $100,000 for that organization alone.” She said the fundraising goal for this year’s Wags, Witches & Warlocks is $20,000. As of early this week, the event had already raised nearly $14,000, McDowell said.

For more information on Wags, Witches & Warlocks, or to register for the parade or Yoga with Puppies, go to the event website at www.wagswitchesandwarlock.com.