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48th Dogwood Arts Fesitval

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48th Dogwood Arts Fesitval

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Written by Brandon Lowe

Monday, 31 March 2008

Dogwood Arts Festival was a direct result of a newspaper reporter's comment. In 1947, John Gunther visited here then returned to New York and wrote, "Knoxville, Tennessee is a scruffy little city on the Tennessee River and the ugliest city in America!"

Knoxville couldn't let that stand. People stepped forward and, in 1955, held the first dogwood event, a single dogwood trail in Sequoyah Hills which showcased some of the area's beauty in its native dogwoods. The Holston Hills trail was added the next year.

In the fall of 1960, the idea was expanded and the festival was born with not only dogwood trails but also other events. Spring of 1961 was the time of first festival and it offered ten days of festivities.

The festival was first operated by organizations such as the Junior League of Knoxville and the Greater Knoxville Chamber of Commerce but, by 1976, the organization had grown to the point that it became more independent and had its own Board of Directors. Also in 1976, Look Magazine acknowledged the Dogwood Arts Festival and gave Knoxville the All-American City title. The parade was added in 1964 and trails continued to be added. By 1965, there were six.

Early festivals included events that you'll no longer see. There were dog and horse shows in the early years. These were replaced by soccer tournaments and hot air balloon rallies but those are also history now. Today, there are many events in this continually growing event. Knoxville's Dogwood Arts Festival is now one of the largest annual festivals in the country with more than a quarter of a million people coming to attend from all over the United States and even Canada.

Each festival takes more than 1,000 volunteers to create. Thousands more spend many hours making their yards beautiful for people touring the trails, by-ways and open gardens.

The dogwoods that are showcased during the festival today are still mostly wild native white dogwoods. Trees such as the wild pink dogwood which have just a blush of pink have been grafted onto the white dogwood stock and this combined with the acidic soil in the area creates the deeper pink dogwoods that are seen around town.

Dogwood Arts Festival Other blooming trees such as the native red bud, a tree which has rosy blossoms, crabapples, cherry and pawlonia, decorate the trails. Azaleas, lilacs and other shrubs combine with garden flowers and wildflowers to make the view beautiful.

The beauty isn't just based on past plantings. In 2005, 500 dogwood trees were planted along the trails in Farragut and Oak Ridge. The trees live 35-40 years, so the organization is assuring a future of beauty.

The Dogwood Arts Festival has a mission beyond this event. They help to fund arts education in schools, promote the arts and add to the beauty of the region. We enjoy the trees they plant year round, not just when they're blooming.

Get ready. In 2010, they plan to plant 50,000 trees to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the event. You may want to get out your gardening gear and join in. The event was, after all, founded for community pride.