The 73^rd annual Dogwood Festival is held in Pedimont Park after a forced vacation last year

By Stewart Roed

04-18-09

“It’s great to have it back in the park this year,” says Maria Mata, a Dekalb resident.

“When it was in Lenox, it just wasn’t nearly as much fun. Plus there just weren’t any dogwoods there, so it was kind of sad.”

Last year’s Dogwood Festival was held at Lenox Mall. In the parking lot. This was due to the terrible drought affecting the metro-Atlanta area this time last year. City officials were worried about holding such a large event in the park under such dry conditions.

“We get more than 150,000 people coming into the park over the course of the three days the festival,” Andi Frey, the festival’s press secretary, says.

“The city thought that so many pairs of feet would smash and kill all of the grass in it’s dried up state. So they relocated the festival to Lenox to try and keep the damage to the environment down to a minimum.”

The first day of the festival that year saw the first rain in months for Atlanta, washing out the crowds for that day. With a total of only around 50,000 people attending that year, the festival took a large financial hit as well.

But this year has proven to break the slump with over 50,000 expected to attend each day.

“It’s been a huge relief to have the festival back in the park this year,” Frey says. “This time we have plenty of space for all the vendors and visitors to use.”

“I was there for last year’s [festival] too,” Beverly Anne, an artist that paints pictures on peacock feathers says. “First day it was raining all day, which kept me from making a single sale. Then the next day, the sun turned all that water on the ground into steam. You ever been standing out in a parking lot for a few hours when the ground is literally steaming up around you? Not fun.”

With over 250 artists, 15 concerts, a children’s area and even a comedy routine, the Dogwood Festival has something for everyone. Even the weather is expected to be cooperative with planners this year, with temperatures in the 70’s and clear blue skies. This year promises to shatter previous years’ records.

Interview with Executive Director, Brian Hill about The Dogwood festival

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