A treat of a time: 32nd annual Dogwood Festival serves up a weekend chock-full of fun
Posted on Friday, April 28, 2006
April in Northwest Arkansas means budding blooms and green grass, but it also means festival season has sprung into action.
This year, first on the list is Siloam Springs' Dogwood Festival, which takes place today through Sunday along University Street and City and Bob Henry parks. Admission to the event, which is in its 32nd year, is free.
Especially popular are the event's arts and crafts booths, which this year will feature more quality items than ever, said Patti Eiland, director of membership and public relations for the Siloam Springs Chamber of Commerce.
"We're trying to get away from the resale stuff slowly ... trying to get back to handmade items," she said.
Nearly 200 booths will be set up during the event selling all sorts of stuff, from jewelry to quilts to bird feeders and even hats and sunglasses for dogs. Paintings and sculptures will also be for sale. One artist will be offering handmade wood bowls embedded with turquoise.
Children will have plenty to do in the KidZone, which is bigger and better this year, she said. The area will include a mechanical bull, a rock-climbing wall, an inflatable obstacle course, bumper boats and more. Eiland's family's favorite is the Quad Jump, a bouncing activity that lets kids do flips while secured to bungee cords.
"It's a kick," she said. "My kids stayed on there forever last year. They can jump as many times as they want and not get hurt."
A highlight of the Dogwood Festival will be a performance at 7 p.m. tonight by jazz saxophonist Grady Nichols Jr. A native of Siloam Springs, Nichols was recently inducted into the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame and will perform in Henry Park. Also on the bill is Brizas de Centro America, a Latin band who will perform Spanish reggae, rap, rock and other genres at 7 p.m. Saturday on the same stage, as well as a long list of local musicians who will play throughout the festival on a stage behind the Community Building.
Also on the schedule are a tennis clinic open to ages 10-18, the 5K Dogwood Run, a sand volleyball tournament and the Miss Dogwood Pageant. But of all that's planned for the event, lots of people come just for the food, Eiland said. This year's offerings go beyond traditional fair fare, spanning German and Cajun to specialty coffees and homemade fudge that is made on-site.
And then there's the Dogwood Festival favorite, kettle corn, which Eiland has purchased every year even if she doesn't participate in any other activity.
Organizers expect the festival, a staple of spring in Siloam Springs, to draw about 30,000 people.
"It's just a nice, relaxing, fun day," Eiland said. "You get to walk through some beautiful parks, see some great crafts. There's lots of fun things for the kids to do, too. It's just a great thing to come and experience."
***
SIDEBAR:
Springfest to set up in Fayetteville on May 6
BY EMILY KOSCHESKI
Northwest Arkansas Times
Wondering where else to catch a carnival game or a corn dog? You can find both at Springfest, which kicks off May 6 on Fayetteville's Dickson Street.
The festival, which usually takes place the third weekend of April, was moved to the first weekend of May because of events such as the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure happening at the same time, organizer Neal Crawford said.
"The advantage I think we have is that hopefully inclement weather won't affect us," he said.
The event, which gets under way at 9 a.m., features all kinds of activities, including a children's area, arts and crafts booths and a pancake breakfast. Multiple stages will spotlight live musicians; a few on the list are Emily Kaitz, Wildwood, Joseph Israel, Six Hung Sprung and The Odds.
Kids' activities will include a juggling performance, an area for chalk drawing on the street and temporary tattoos.
A unique aspect of Springfest is traditionally the bed races, in which teams fight for the finish while running alongside wheeled mattresses. However, the races won't occur this year because the mattresses, typically stored in the train depot, are missing, Crawford said.
"We've turned everything upside down to try to find them," he said.
As far as the food, offerings will include barbecue, funnel cakes, shaved ice and more, Crawford said. The pancake breakfast will take place at Ozark Mountain Smokehouse.
Vendors who want to sign up the day of the festival can do so at the headquarters tent in front of Jose's Restaurant & Club on Dickson Street. For now, there are applications available inside the restaurant, Crawford said.
Crawford plans to organize Springfest again next year, he said.
"Our hopes are to take things to a whole new level for '07," he said. "I'd like to see it expand to a two- to three-day festival. It's kind of a celebration of Northwest Arkansas in my opinion."
Today
9 a.m. to 6 p.m. -- book sale, University Street
10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. -- corn bread and bean dinner ($5/adults, $3/children), 110 N. Mt. Olive
Noon to 12:30 p.m. -- Live Music: Tori Miller
12:45-1:15 p.m. -- Live Music: Rebelie Morrison
1:30-2:30 p.m. -- Live Music: Traci Lettellier
2:45-3:45 p.m. -- Live Music: Opposites Attract
4:30-5 p.m. -- Live Music: Anna Massey
7-9 p.m. -- Live Music: Grady Nichols
Saturday
Daybreak to noon -- Franklin Electric rummage sale, U.S. 412 and Elm Street
6:30 a.m. to noon -- Kiwanis pancake breakfast ($4/adults, $3/children), First United Methodist Church
7 a.m. -- registration for 5K Dogwood Run, Henry Park
8 a.m. -- 5K Dogwood Run begins, Henry Park
9 a.m. to 6 p.m. -- book sale, University Street
9-9:30 a.m. -- Live Music: Kyla Horton
9:45-10:45 a.m. -- Live Music: Cedar Ridge
10 a.m. -- coed 4-on-4 sand volleyball tournament, Henry Park
10 a.m. to noon -- tennis clinic ($10 registration on-site), Henry Park
10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. -- corn bread and bean dinner ($5/adults, $3/children), 110 N. Mt. Olive
10 a.m. to 4 p.m. -- Dogwood Quilters Guild's Airing of the Quilts ($2/adults, free/children), 617 N. Mt. Olive
11-11:45 a.m. -- clogging by Cally Northcott, Community Building Stage
Noon to 1:30 p.m. -- children's program by Marshall Mitchell, Community Building Stage
1:45-2:15 p.m. -- martial arts demonstration by Wiles Tae-Kwan-Do
2 p.m. -- Miss Dogwood Pageant ($5), Siloam Springs High School
2:30-3:30 p.m. -- Live Music: 2-Cents Worth
3:45-5 p.m. -- Live Music: Quinntalkin
7-9 p.m. -- Live Music: Brizas de Centro America
Sunday
10 a.m. to 4 p.m. -- book sale, University Street
11-11:30 a.m. -- Live Music: Justin Cowell
11:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. -- Live Music: Square on Purpose
12:30-1 p.m. -- Live Music: Haley Craghead
1:15-2:15 p.m. -- Live Music: Tim/Chris/Sam
2:30-3 p.m. -- Illusionist Steve Snediker, Community Building Stage
3:15-3:45 p.m. -- Live Music: Marci Garrett
FEEDBACK:
Something to say about this topic? Submit a Letter to the Editor online
