Submitted by: Radiant Heart After-Care For Pets
After a pandemic-related hiatus last year, the Floating Lantern Pet Memorial at Bloedel Donovan Park is returning on Sunday, Sept. 12. The event starts at 6 p.m. and features memorial lanterns set afloat on Lake Whatcom at dusk and takes place on National Pet Memorial Day.
“This event has struck a chord with pet owners in the community,” said Bobbie Ruth Langley, organizer of the event and owner of Bellingham business Radiant Heart After-Care for Pets. “It’s a tangible, meaningful way for grieving pet parents to express their love for a deceased pet and be with other people who are feeling the same way. After a year of having to put our grief on hold, I expect it will be even more meaningful this year.”
New this year, to encourage safe distancing, participants will be asked to register for a check-in time. After arriving, participants are welcome to stay for the remainder of the event.
Participants reserve a lantern, which they can then decorate prior to the event with their pet’s name, image or other remembrance. The day of the event, the decorated lantern top is affixed to the lantern base and participants walk along a lighted path to the release point on the beach. The path will be lit by luminarias and flanked by several hand-bell ringers – light and sound will guide participants to the beach.
Langley said she does not anticipate making any profit from this event. If any profit is generated from the memorial, it will be donated to a local pet-related charity.
Those wishing to participate can learn more and pre-order a lantern by visiting www.radiant-heart.net/floating-lantern.
Radiant Heart After-Care for Pets was founded in 2013. It is Whatcom County’s sole pet-only funeral home and on-site cremation service, offering both traditional fire cremation and eco-friendly water cremation. It is located at 801 W. Orchard Drive, Suite 3, Bellingham.
