WHITTIER BIRTHPLACE TO HOST BIG DOG SHOW

The Whittier Birthplace will host Dale Rogers’  “Big Dog Show” on the Bradford Common over Halloween weekend for a fifth year in a row. 

The Big Dog Show is the signature public art exhibition of Haverhill-based artist, Dale Rogers. Twenty of Dale Rogers’ “American Dogs” will be assembled on the Bradford Common from Friday, October 30th through Monday, November 2nd, 2026. Event sponsors and their community partners (such as schools and local nonprofits) will have the opportunity to decorate one of the American Dogs for the viewing pleasure of the greater Haverhill community. In addition to decorated Dogs, there will be a number of other activities for the public to enjoy on Saturday, October 31st. These include a pet parade, a chance to vote on the best dressed Big Dog, and more. The Haverhill Farmers Market will also be set up on Bradford Common on Saturday, October 31st. This will be a fun weekend for pet-owners and the community at large!

Sponsorship opportunities are available for businesses and organizations interested in decorating a Big Dog or for sponsoring one of the other activities such as the pet pageant. For more information, please email Kaleigh Paré Shaughnessy, Executive Director of the Whittier Birthplace at kaleigh@whittierbirthplace.org. 

The Whittier Birthplace was organized in April 1893 to preserve the historic landscape, house, and other buildings as nearly as may be, in the same condition as when John Greenleaf Whittier lived on the farmstead and to provide public access to the property so that the legacy of Whittier’s literary and abolition works may be remembered. To learn more about other events or to book a tour, please visit whittierbirthplace.org.