Footprint changes to enhance Dogwood Festival experience
The biggest change will be the location and size of the entertainment stage.
Scores of cars will soon begin to roll in from out of town. The smell of fried food will waft through Siloam Springs’ downtown and spring sunshine is in the forecast. That can only mean that it is time to gear up for the Dogwood Festival. The footprint of the celebration of this corner of the Natural State will look a little different under the white blossoms on the outstretched branches of the festival’s namesake. This year, the location of some vendors has been adjusted to help the intrepid festival-goer on his or her quest to find the very best fried food, T-shirts and unique crafts. But the single biggest adjustment to the Dogwood Festival will be immediately noticeable to anyone who has attended past iterations of the springtime celebration. The Dogwood Festival’s main entertainment stage will be shifted and expanded to be featured more prominently and accommodate this year’s acts, said Nathanael Stone, who is coordinating the entertainment for the festival. The speakers on the stage will be similar to last year’s, but the stage itself will be significantly larger. The new stage, which is the same stage used at concerts at Arvest Ballpark in Springdale, measures in at 20 feet by 24 feet. Last year’s stage, which was owned by the company that provided the tents for the event, was only 16 feet by 16 feet. In addition to being larger and better shaped acoustically, this year’s stage will accommodate the musical acts better by allowing musicians to hear themselves better with a separate monitor mix. Spectators will also notice an improvement this year as Stone has added bench seating for around 50 in addition to the traditional hay bale seating. And, like last year, there will be tents set up to provide shade or shelter in case of rain. The stage will be in the street, nearly covering the width of University Street, facing West. “It’s closer to the food, so people can grab something to eat and not feel like they’re missing out,” Stone said. Stone said the change was the next step in a process that started last year when the stage was moved the first time.