WATERLOO - The Cedar Trails Festival is all about exposure to new things.

For the Cedar Bend Humane Society, the festival's dog walk allows shelter animals a chance to exercise and show off. The Humane Society had eight dogs available to walk outside the Cedar Falls Paw Park Friday afternoon. Just a few minutes after the event started, five of those dogs were already happily headed down the trail with volunteer walkers.

Autumn Ewoldt of the Humane Society said people walk the shelter dogs for a variety of reasons. Some can't have pets where they live, so they come to get their fix. Others are interested in adopting a shelter dog.

"It's a really good time for the dogs to get out in the community, for the people to see the dogs we have and get some more adopting them," Ewoldt said.

Dan and Joyce Ankrum of Waterloo went to the dog walk with their own dog, Plinko, and Gracie, whom they were dog sitting.

Despite an injured foot, Joyce walked from the dog park down to University Avenue and back, and they were going to cross the road to let the dogs play in Dry Run Creek.

"A tired dog is a happy dog they say, so the more exercise the better," she said.

In the past, the Ankrums have participated in the night ride. This was their first experience with the dog walk.

"This is our first year with a dog, so we thought we would come down for it," Dan said.

Rosemary Beach, a festival volunteer, expected about 60 people to come for the dog walk.

"It's good to get people out on the trails for a different reason," she said.

The Gassman family from Cedar Falls modified the bridge to bridge ride. They hopped on a trail near their home off Greenhill Road and made their way across the bridge into Exchange Park and then to downtown Waterloo, where they planned to eat at Screaming Eagle before taking in People in the Park.

The family, including Kevin and Juli and their three children, Justin, 14, Kaitlyn, 12, and Jack, 10 months, were joined by the kids' grandfather for the ride. Grandpa brought his truck and parked it downtown as a hedge against rain.

The Gassmans normally ride trails in Cedar Falls and this was their first time on the Waterloo stretch.

"We said we'll go to downtown Waterloo now because the trails are so nice," Juli said.

The Cedar Trails Festival is in its 14th year. It ends today, with the final event being a poker ride starting at 11 a.m. at Mulligan's in Cedar Falls.