(Photo By Flickr User Bob Mical)
The annual Dogwood Festival is celebrating its golden anniversary this year with the theme “Party Like It’s 1969: Celebrating 50 Years of Dogwood.” Events between May 2nd and 5th include the Blessing Health System/GatesAir Dogwood Parade, Lincoln in the District, a Tom Petty tribute band, and more.
Quincy is one of the northern-most communities in the nation where Dogwoods can be grown. Following an effort by a local service club in conjunction with the Garden Club, the city boasted of a good number of the beautiful trees and was featured in an article in “Flower and Garden” magazine. Mary Lou Kent, who worked at the Chamber at that time, decided the Chamber should organize a Dogwood Festival to promote Quincy and tourism in the city when those trees were in full bloom. The first Dogwood Festival was in 1969. Mary Lou Kent went on to become a state legislator.
Below is the schedule for the 2019 Dogwood Festival, and it is subject to change. Visit this website for continuous updates:
Thursday, May 2nd-
• 7pm, Little King and Queen of Dogwood Pageant, Quincy Mall Center Court. Deadline to enter pageant is April 30. Click here for the registration forms.
Friday, May 3rd-
• Noon – 1:15pm, Concert in the Plaza, First Mid-Illinois Bank Plaza next to St. Boniface Church
• 5pm – 7pm, Hope for Horizons, Quincy Country Club, 2410 State St.
• 6pm, Ribbon Cutting to kick off Dogwood, St. James Lutheran Church, 900 S. 17th St.
• 6pm – St. James Lutheran Church Third Annual Block Party.
Saturday, May 4th-
• 8am – 1pm, Quincy Farmer’s Market opens
• 8:30am, Breakfast on the Lawn, First Christian Church, 1415 Maine
• 9:20am, Blessing Health System/GatesAir Dogwood Parade, 24th and Maine, proceeds west to 6th St.
• 10am – 3pm, Lincoln in the District, Washington Park.
• 3pm – 6pm, QUEST Kentucky Derby Party in the Country, 7007 N. 12th, Quincy.
• 7pm – 10pm, Free Fallin – Tom Petty Tribute Concert, Morrison Theater, 100 S. 14th St. Proceeds from the concert will go toward the renovation of the Washington Theater. For more information, visit http://www.quincywashingtontheater.org/
• 11pm, Amateur Night, The Cab – Quincy, 124 N. 5th St. Open to any performer who wants to entertain a crowd. Must be 21 or older. For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/thecabquincy
Sunday, May 5
• Noon – 4pm, Log Cabins Open House, Quinsippi Island. For more information, click on to visit their website at http://www.logcabinvillagequincyil.com/
Get more details on this upcoming event at www.quincychamber.org/50th-annual-dogwood-festival-schedule, right now!
