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Health & Fitness

Around Town @ - 76th Annual Atlanta Dogwood Festival

Grab your charge card, buy a corn dog, pick up some incredible art and enjoy some great entertainment at the 76th Annual Atlanta Dogwood Festival in Piedmont Park this weekend.

Spring has sprung and summer is right around the corner...what better way to have a KILLER weekend but to attend the 76th Annual Atlanta Dogwood Festival in fabulous Midtown Atlanta. This is your "Around Town @" reporter Rob Levins with my iPad, iPhone and camera speeding through Piedmont Park to give you a sneak preview of what's about to happen this weekend, starting Friday, April 20th at NOON.

How all this news started, I woke up this morning beginning to smell a whiff of kettle corn in the air. Next I leaned out my condo window and heard the sounds of hammers, saws and generators. On further inspection, I saw incredibly decorated golf carts moving quickly about the park pathways with people yelling "booth 120 is over there, the Italian Ice cart goes over by the pool house...and can someone get me some batteries for my walkie, its starting to die." Lord, I knew in a split second it was the Atlanta Dogwood Festival!

The Atlanta Dogwood Festival has been a tradition in Atlanta since 1936. Walter Rich (founder of Rich's Department Store, now Macy's) took the opportunity along with city garden clubs and civic supporters to announce the city’s first Atlanta Dogwood Festival that took place on April 19th, 1936. Since that time, the festival has "bloomed" even greater through the 76-year history to include incredible art, music and food to support this MUST SEE event.

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Knowing you’re about to bolt on me to get to the PARK, let me give you a few event tidbits to know prior to heading out.

Atlanta Dogwood Festival Dates:

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  • Friday: Noon - 10pm
  • Saturday: 10am - 11pm
  • Sunday: 10am - 6pm

What to Do and See:

Artist Market- Which includes: mixed media, jewelry, wood, glass, metal, leather, clay and photography.

Entertainment- Various entertainment takes place throughout the park at the: Main Stage, International Stage and Acoustic Stage.

  • At the Coca-Cola & Xfinity Main Stage a multitude of outstanding performers are on stage throughout the weekend...including the Saturday night performance by Grammy award singing performer Roberta Flack.
  • The Art of Comedy- stand-up humor at it's best.
  • The Fair- a great place to take the kids to ride on various rides that will surely make you re-think eating a corn dog before hand.

Food, Drink & Spirits- strategically positioned throughout the festival to ensure your taste are satisfied and appetite quenched

  • Food Lovers Lane- from corn dogs to barbecue, this is what gets your weekend engines going.
  • 2012 LA FETE International Wine Tasting- for the finer taste of life.
  • Friends of Dogwood- hosting a variety of special wines, fabulous food and decadent dessert.

Soooo...like I told you a few minutes ago, that's just a quick snapshot of what's going on in the park this weekend. I know for sure I have forgotten something to tell you because there was so much to see. Guess I will just have to go there once again to capture everything! Oh, if you see someone holding a bag of kettle corn in one hand and balancing a great sculpture in the other you'll know it's me. So stop and say hello, who knows I may have another scoop to tell you what's happening elsewhere here in town.

For complete details on the Dogwood Festival, click here.

News Flash: Rob Levins will begin providing weekly articles addressing things to see, places to go and great things to enjoy here in Midtown. His "finger on the pulse" information will help you get a bird's eye view of what this great community has to offer.

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