Dogwood Festival returns for 51st year

The spirit of Vestavia Hills is embodied in the annual Dogwood Festival, a time for the community to gather together.

 This month, the festival celebrates its 51st anniversary with three days of special activities including the Dogwood Luncheon, the second annual Art in the Hills event, and the Vestavia Belle Presentation and Garden Party. 

 The Vestavia Hills Beautification Board sponsors the festival and uses event proceeds to purchase trees and seasonal holiday decor for City Hall, the Senior Lodge and the Dogwood Room. Beautification Board Chair Anne Boston said the board is also in discussions to set up an annual scholarship for a deserving Belle.  

Though the types of events that comprise the festival have changed since its inception in 1964, Boston said the annual program has consistently honored its original intent: to promote the city and its beauty.

“[At that time,] we celebrated the natural beauty of the large number of dogwood trees so profusely growing in Vestavia Hills,” she said, adding that the board is active in efforts to add more dogwoods to the city’s landscape. “We encourage residents and garden clubs to plant dogwood trees in yards and public places.”

She acknowledged that dogwood trees are not easy to maintain but added that it is worth the effort for residents up to the task.

“Each part of the city is included in two yard judging competitions a year. Check our website for specific judging dates to be determined by when the plants are in full bloom,” said Boston, noting that the board intends to host a second planting seminar this fall at Andy’s Creekside Nursery on Morgan Drive. The first planting seminar took place in early March.

Boston and her Dogwood Luncheon co-chairs Casey O’Dell and Kristin Tunnell also encourage residents to check out one or more of this year’s events.

This year’s luncheon takes place Thursday, April 16, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Dogwood Room and features Rebecca Walden, Vestavia Voice community editor and author of Images of America: Vestavia Hills. The luncheon will be catered by Café Iz. 

O’Dell added that the board likes to remain open-minded about the possibility of bringing back past events to the festival. Many will remember its affiliation with the Mr. and Miss Dogwood Pageant, a tradition that fell by the wayside due to lack of participation. In years past, the festival also has included a tour of homes. A more likely return, according to O’Dell, would be a Family Fun Day, which the board is considering for the near future.

Following the festival, the board will be working closely with a landscape architect to plan the grounds for the new City Hall, which they hope will include dogwoods.

“The Dogwood Festival is always such a wonderful, fun time of year for the community of Vestavia Hills,” said O’Dell. “We do hope everyone will join us for one or more, if not all, of the events this year.”

Art in the Hills

On Saturday, April 18, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the second annual Art in the Hills will take place at the Vestavia Hills City Center. Local artisans will showcase their work across a broad array of media, including pottery, clay, ironwork, jewelry, woodwork, tin and more. 

“Art in the Hills is a great way for us to reach out to a broad base within the community, including families and teens,” said Tunnell. “The event welcomes artisans, volunteers and the public, and it’s a wonderful way to bring our community together via the Vestavia Hills Beautification Board.”

Art in the Hills reflects the board’s adaptability and interest in keeping the festival fresh and relevant, while also honoring its heritage. 

“At the end of the festival each year we reevaluate, and we frequently decide to add or take away events as needed,” O’Dell said. “Art in the Hills was a brainchild of Cindy Bartlett and Ashley Nance from a couple of years ago, and, boy, are we sure glad that they had that idea, brought it to the table, and ran with it. We are so excited this year to be giving cash prizes to art show winners from each elementary grade and a middle school and high school division at Art in the Hills.”

Board members Nance and Bartlett conceived the idea of a festival reboot, capitalizing on the gorgeous spring weather and the area’s penchant for cultivating local artisans.

“We feel Vestavia Hills is a beautiful city, and the art show is one of the best ways to display the talent and beauty of our city and the season,” said Nance. “With the involvement of many Vestavia school system performance groups providing the daily entertainment, yard decor winners being acknowledged and talented local artists showing their work, this truly represents many varieties of the arts in our hills.”

Nance and Bartlett noted that to date, 25 artists have committed to participate in Art in the Hills. Pieces range in price from $5 to more than $1,000 and represent talent from across the Southeast.

“While there are artists and artisans from throughout the region, we have so many talented artists within Vestavia that the majority of our artists are from our own backyard,” Nance said.

This group includes a photographer familiar to and beloved by many, George Elliott. Since retiring in 1998, the Vestavia Hills resident has traveled across the country taking photographs of everything from the Grand Canyon to Florida beaches. His photographs are in honor of his daughter Amelia, who passed away in a car accident in 1995.

“George has many pictures of the beauty of our community,” said Nance. “[That kind of] Southern charm is well represented with many of our artists.”

Registered artists span a variety of media, including mixed media art, hand-carved wooden bowls, handmade jewelry, photography, tin art, pottery and ironwork. Bartlett encourages those interested in participating in the show to email her at cindy.bartlett57@gmail.com, including details about and photographs of their art.

Event proceeds this year will be redistributed in the form of prize money for winning artists in the student art show.

“Because 2014 was the first year of our event, the startup costs used the majority of our profits, but the positive reactions of producing such a fun and successful event was truly a community benefit in itself,” said Nance. “This year, we are providing substantial prize money to the student art show to encourage budding artists.”

Nance said the Art in the Hills environment offers something for everyone. 

“We have a wonderful array of musical groups providing entertainment, a balloon artist providing balloon animals for the younger art lovers, the company of our beautiful belles, and of course handcrafted treasures to purchase for your home or an amazing gift.”

For more, visit vestaviabeautiful.com