Plans set for Dogwood Festival

This simple question asked by the Perry Area Chamber of

Commerce President Stacy Campbell to Mayor Jimmy Faircloth was the beginning of

a project to plant 25 dogwoods throughout the city, said Faircloth Tuesday at

Rotary Centennial Park.

The planting of the dogwoods paves the way for the 25th

Annual Dogwood Festival.

Trees were planted at the entrance into downtown on Gen.

Courtney Hodges Boulevard, around the Perry Arts Center and in Rotary

Centennial Park.

Kathy O’Neal, the festival co-founder, and artist Gloria

Ragland unveiled the 25th Anniversary Dogwood Festival official art Tuesday.

The artwork will be used on T-shirts and art prints that will be sold during

the festival.

The Perry Area Chamber of Commerce event announced several

new events for the Dogwood Festival, which will be held April 13 and 14.

During the festival there will be the time-honored

traditions of food, arts and crafts, a pageant, the 5K and fun run and the

flapjack fundraiser. There are also new events that will be at the festival

this year. Those events include a DockDog Competition and a Hot Air Balloon Rally.

The DockDog Competition will be both days of the festival on

Main Street.

The Hot Air Balloon Rally will include 15 balloons at the

Georgia National Fairgrounds and Agricenter. The rally will begin at 4 p.m. on

April 13.

“At dusk, there will be a balloon glow,” stated 2013 Chamber

Chair Beth McLaughlin. “If you’ve never seen that, it is something to behold.”

The 2012 Chair, Rob Brooks, said the festival offers

“Something for everyone.”

Also, Faircloth announced that on Arbor Day, Jan. 25, from 9

a.m. to noon, the city would be giving away dogwood seedlings as supplies last.

For more information on the festival visit

www.perrydogwoodfestival.com.

HHJ News