Blacktip Island residents will celebrate the binary star Sirius leaving its conjunction with the Sun this weekend, marking the end of the so-called ‘dog-days of summer,’ when the celestial bodies are said to combine to cause extreme heat and extreme behavior. (photo courtesy of NASA, ESA and G. Bacon.)
Blacktip Island residents will celebrate the end of the ‘dog days’ of summer this weekend with the 23rd annual Dog Days Night celebration at the Sand Spit bar to mark the Sun and Sirius—the dog star—no longer being in conjunction, DDN organizers said.
“Technically, Sirius and the Sun are still in conjunction through Wednesday, but we’re celebrating Saturday and Sunday when most people can get time off, “Tiperon University-Blacktip astrology chair Rigel Estrella said. “Wives’ tale or no, Blacktippers worry the stars make them crazy. People are serious about Sirius here. We’re glad when those days behind us each year.
“Looney-wise, I’m not sure you can tell the difference between dog-day and non-dog-day behavior on Blacktip, but the party’s a tradition,” Estrella said. “Monday people can go back to what passes for normal on this little rock after they let off some steam.”
Residents agreed.
“Can’t wait for all the bad juju to blow away,” Catalina Luxfer said. “I figure if we party hard enough, it’ll chase all the negative vibes off. Everybody’s gonna dance on the beach ‘til they drop. All the island dogs’ll be there, too. All three of them.
“Folks tend to stay inside ‘til the dog days pass, so it’ll be good to see everyone out, and mix with them again,” Luxfer said. “Dog Days Night’s when folks really come out of their shells, and that’s saying a lot on Blacktip.”
Event organizers say the event will feature the usual dog-themed activities.
“We’ll have the Dog Show and Best Dog Tricks contest, as ever, with all contestants being people in dog costumes,” master of ceremonies Kay Valve said. “We’ll also have the ball-chasing contest, the stick tug-off and Frisbee toss out on the beach. After the sun drops, of course, so no one passes out in their costumes.
“The Sand Spit’ll be doing its usual meal service in dog bowls,” Valve said. “People love scarfing ground-up burgers and salads like it’s kibble. And slurping beer out of tin pans. It really brings the community together in a canine sort of way. And there will be fines for public urination and nipping at people’s ankles.”
Some residents say the celebration will be bittersweet.
“It’s great to have the hot, crazy days behind us, but it also means the heart of the hurricane season’s coming up,” B.C. Flote said. “Now folks’ll be glued to the interweb weather sites, watching for big storms and buying up cases of water. That’s another kind of craziness. Me, I’ll take the dog days any time.”
The Blacktip Times 