69 Years Later: The story behind the Vinton Dogwood Festival
VINTON, Va. (WFXR) — One festival has been bringing the community together in the streets of Vinton for more than six decades. Since the mid-1950s, The Vinton Dogwood Festival has brought Vinton to life with its live music, food, antique car show, and crowning of the new “Dogwood Queen.”
This year, the 69th annual festival is set to kick off on April 26.
The Vinton Dogwood Festival is one of the oldest festivals in Southwest Virginia and remains the oldest festival in Virginia’s Blue Ridge.
It all began in 1956 when the Vinton Band Boosters needed to get new band uniforms for the William Bryd High School band. To help raise the money for the new uniforms, the Boosters decided to sell small dogwood trees.
A dogwood tree is an ornamental plant that has over 50 species. However, the Dogwood flower is Virginia’s state flower.
Vinton’s 69th annual Dogwood Festival bringing live entertainment, family fun, and more!
The idea of selling the trees caught on and soon the community project turned into a festival. The next year, the Vinton Town Council and citizens established the festival as an annual event.
By 1959, the community loved the Vinton Dogwood Festival and organizers began searching for more funds to make the event bigger and better. As a result, the Town Council put together $500 and the Vinton Area Chamber of Commerce used $750, and several people began to donate money to the festival.
As the years continued, the Vinton Dogwood Festival became a big success, drawing over 10,000 people to the parade. Organizers say by 1960, it took over 800 people to organize the event and 600 of them were children.
This year marks 69 years and the nonprofit and community-focused organization has been working to give families and visitors entertainment while promoting businesses across Vinton and Virginia’s Blue Ridge.
The Vinton Dogwood Festival is funded by donations, sponsorships, and fundraising events. Money also comes from vendor and concession fees.
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