Dogwood Arts, Farragut trail kickoff April 1
Springtime in East Tennessee is synonymous with the region’s renowned and prestigious Dogwood Arts Festival, beginning its 60th year.
The annual month-long celebration of the beauty of Knox and surrounding counties begins Thursday, April 1, with some special activities right here in Farragut.
First and foremost, all 12 Dogwood Trails, including Farragut’s, will be marked by the familiar pink dotted lines along 80 miles of Knox County roadways.
Farragut’s nearly 8-mile trail, which winds through three subdivisions — Fox Den, Village Green and Country Manor — is one of the highlights, as it showcases long-standing neighborhoods flush with native blooming plants, flowers, trees and shrubs, including pink and white dogwoods, magnolia trees, cypress, nanina’s, pampas grass and weeping willows, along with tulips, iris and azaleas.
Vicki Baumgartner, DAF’s Trails & Gardens Program manager, said even despite COVID-19 curtailing some of the regular activities for the second year, enthusiasm was high for the trails themselves.
“Last year the Stay-at-Home order had just come out in March, but we heard from so many people who called or sent e-mails, expressing gratitude to all the people that work year-round to keep the trails beautiful,” she said. “So many people were glad for something they could do safely, and it was like many of them were able to see the trails through fresh eyes.
“This year, the dogwood trees have so many buds that if we don’t get a cold snap, it looks to be a beautiful spring,” she added.
Farragut’s own trail, which was established in 2000, begins in Fox Den, travels through Country Manor and winds through Village Green subdivision before exiting onto Campbell Station Road near Founders Park at Campbell Station.
This year’s featured trail is in Holston Hills, and the other locations include Sequoyah Hills; Westmoreland; North Hills; Morningside; Lakemoor Hills; Island Home; Halls/Timberline; Deane Hill; Fountain City (West and East); and Chapman Highway.
Additionally, Farragut Open Gardens and camera sites include the following homes and locations, according to the DAF website:
Michael & Mary Bates
Open Garden
513 Altamira Drive, 37934
A spring woodland garden that originated 25 years ago with plants acquired from the owners’ mother and grandmother. Pink and white dogwoods mingle with azaleas, spring bulbs and perennials.
John & Pam Garrity
Open Garden
532 Altamira Drive, 37934
The gardens include a wide variety of perennials, dogwoods and unique garden features.
Founders Park at Campbell Station
Open Garden
405 N. Campbell Station Road, 37934
A beautiful 17-acre park offering extensive walking trails.
Farragut Town Hall – Farragut Memorial Plaza
Open Garden
11408 Municipal Center Drive, 37934. A Civil War Trails Historical Marker commemorates the Battle of Campbell Station fought in 1863. Farragut Memorial Plaza features a life-sized bronze statue of Admiral David Glasgow Farragut and Civil War-era cannons on loan from the U.S. Naval Yard, whichhonor his life.
Both the Bates’ gardens and those of Kathy Brennan, 706 Landing Lane, Farragut, also will be included in the DAF’s Open Rose Garden dates of May 7-9 and May 14-16, noted Baumgartner.
Wildflower Walk
Also in Farragut will be the Dogwood Arts Wildflower Walk at 9 a.m. and 10:30 p.m., Saturday, April 3, in Founders Park at Campbell Station, which will be led by Jeremy Clothier from Ijams Nature Center.
Pre-registration is required, and the walks are limited to 15 participants each. Register at http://bit.ly/3d0XMMz.
The Dogwood Trails were officially established in 1955 in response to a negative reporter’s comments that “Knoxville was the ugliest city” he had ever seen.
Betsy Creekmore, Martha Ashe and Betty Goodson from the Knoxville Garden Club took up the cause and started the Trails, and its first official Dogwood Arts Festival was held in 1961.
For more information, visit www.dogwoodarts.com
