Chicago Fall Pug Party 2012: Pictures Of The Wrinkly-Faced Action (PHOTOS)

Did you know that Chicago is home to a biannual Pug Party?

The event, held each spring and fall, is organized by "pugmaster" Ben Friedman and has been a tradition since 1994. According to the Pug Party website, Friedman got the idea for the gathering of the tiny canines while managing a Lincoln Park bar called The Local Option.

Friedman would often bring Knuckles with him to the bar -- and customers soon began to follow his lead. A birthday party for Knuckles, incidentally, was the inaugural Pug Party and today the "Pied Piper of Pug" estimates that between 250 and 300 pugs typically turn out for the events.

Below are some photos, courtesy Friedman, from the fall 2012 party, held Saturday at Chicago Party Animals, 1133 W. Fulton Market. Owing to the Halloween season, many of the dogs were appropriately decked out in costumes -- while others arrived au naturel.