Around Phoenixville

PHOENIXVILLE, Pa. --- Horse-drawn carriages will transport 2011 Dogwood Queen Courtney Weiland and her court during the Phoenixville Jaycees’ Dogwood Parade on May 21, which will begin the commencement of the 60th annual Dogwood Festival. The parade will begin at 1 p.m. and will also feature Philadelphia 76ers mascot Hip-Hop, Philadelphia Eagles’ mascot Swoop, marching and string bands, floats created by local groups and business, military groups and police and fire departments. Bands, classic automobiles, floats, fire companies and dance groups will be judged as they pass Reeves Park and awarded prizes at the parade’s conclusion. Judging is organized by Mike Solick. The first Dogwood Parade was held in 1952 to honor Armed Forces Day, which was created August 31, 1949, and first celebrated on May 20, 1950. Armed Forces Day was created to replace separate Army, Navy and Air Force Days and stemmed from the armed forces’ unification under one department – the Department of Defense...

Plenty going on in Phoenixville over the next week or so starting tomorrow with the 5th Annual Celtic Street Fair . The fair, which features live music, dancers, vendors and food will be held on the 200 block of Bridge Street from Fair will be held on the 200 block of Bridge Street and will run from 10am-5:30pm. The Dogwood Festival will celebrating its 60th Anniversary when it begins on Monday. The annual celebration features rides and games for the entire family and is held from 6-10pm next Monday-Friday and from 12-10pm on Saturday at Reeves Park. Also on Saturday, the Dogwood Parade will make its way through town beginning at 1pm. For more information, visit phoenixvilledogwoodfestival.org . Wrapping up the week, the first ever Phoenixville Restaurant Festival will be held next Saturday from 11am-6pm.

This year marks the 60th Anniversary of the Dogwood Festival . For those new to town, the festival is hosted by the Phoenxiville Jaycees who describe it best: The Dogwood Parade and Festival has become part of the rubric of Phoenixville since it first started as a means of celebrating the arrival of spring and Armed Forces day. In fact, the first seven Dogwood queens earned their crowns by selling the most war bonds during World War II and the first Dogwood parades were one-day festivals ceremoniously held on Armed Forces Day. Instead of rides and games, though, the first Dogwood festivals offered only pony rides and homemade food from local residents. Following World War II and the Korean Conflict, the Phoenixville Jaycees continued the tradition by hosting an annual pageant to decide the Dogwood queen. As the years went on, the festival grew from one to four days during the 1970s and ‘80s to a six-day festival in the 1990s. The Dogwood Festival and Parade has come a long way ...

The annual Dogwood Festival will be taking place the week of May 10-15th. During the week, the festival will be open from 6-10pm and on Saturday it will go from 12-10pm with the Dogwood Parade set to begin at 1pm. Food, games, activities, entertainment and more!!!! Fun for the entire family. Prince and Princess will be declared on Wed, 5/12. Come out and meet the 2010 Dogwood Queen, Hannah Weicheld! Ride ticket prices: 1 ticket - $1.25 20 tickets - $20.00 56 tickets - $56.00 Monday and Wednesday Family Night - $20.00 per wristband Dogwood Festival Dunk Tank- volunteers needed The Dogwood Festival is just around the corner, May 10th to the 15th. Rides, games, food, and fun will be filling Reeves Park. This year, the Phoenixville Jaycees will be running a dunk tank everyday of the festival and we are looking for leaders of the community to "dunk." The funds raised will help us continue to put on great events such as the Burn Off the Bird 5k, Date Auction, and Com...

The Phoenixville Jaycees , in conjunction with Dogwood Festival, Inc. is accepting applications for the 2010 Dogwood Prince & Princess Contest. Children between the ages of 5 to 8 years old, living in the Phoenixville Area School District, are eligible to enter the 2010 Dogwood Prince and Princess Contest. *All contest entries must be in by Monday April 12, 2010. Click here for full contest information and application . For more information, email Kim at dogwoodprinceandprincess@gmail.com . Winners will be announced during the Dogwood Festival on Wednesday, May 12th, with a rain date of Thursday, May 13th.

For those planning to attend the Dogwood Festival Parade on Saturday, the Jaycees have posted some information on their blog . The parade will begin at 1pm and will be complete around 3pm. The Dogwood Festival will be open from 12:30 to 10pm.

The 2009 Dogwood Festival is being held from May 11th-16th. Daily events highlighted below: May 11 Wristband Night #1 6:30 - 7:30 pm: The Cat's Pajamas , Eric the Magician 8:00 - 10:00 pm: Brownpenny May 12 6:30 - 7:15 pm: PAHS Guitar Club 7:30 - 9:30 pm: EFB Everybody's Favorite Band May 13 Wristband Night #2 6:30 - 7:00 pm: Eric the Magician 7:00 - 7:30 pm: Dogwood Prince and Princess contest 8:00 - 10:00 pm: Audubon Symphony Orchestra May 14 6:30 - 7:15 pm: The Suspect 7:30 - 8:15 pm: Rocket 88 8:30 - 9:15 pm: My Last Day May 15 7:30 - 9:15 pm: Boris Garcia May 16 Dogwood Parade and Festival – Parade participants begin lining up at 11am, parade starts at 1pm, complete by 3pm; Dogwood Festival continues until 10pm Time(s) TBD: Klyph Black , Joe D'Amico For more information, visit the Phoenixville Jaycees website .