81st annual Dogwood Festival returns to Phoenixville

Phoenixville knows how to throw a celebration.

The 81st annual Phoenixville Dogwood Festival returned to Reeves Park from May 14 to May 17.

Festivities included the annual Dogwood Parade on March 17. The parade began at ​Gay & Bridge streets and ended at 5th and Main streets.

The Grand Marshal for the 81st Annual Dogwood Parade was Ted Novak, a local 101-year-old World War II veteran. Novak served with the 83rd Infantry Division, known as the “Thunderbolts.”

He participated in numerous significant battles, including the Normandy Campaign, the Campaign of Northern France, the Ardennes Campaign (Battle of the Bulge), the Rhineland Campaign, and the Campaign of Central Europe. Novak was awarded multiple honors, including the Purple Heart with two Oak Leaf Clusters, the Combat Infantry Badge, and the Bronze Star. Recently, he received France’s highest honor, the Legion of Honor.

The four-day Dogwood Festival featured live music, carnival rides, a beer garden, and lots of food vendors. Fire engine rides were also available to benefit the Phoenixville Fire Company.

Continuing the annual tradition, a new dogwood tree was planted at Reeves Park, courtesy of Bates Landscaping.

Phoenixville’s Annual Dogwood Festival tradition dates back to May 1943, when Retired Army Major General Edward C. Shannon dedicated a dogwood tree in Reeves Park as a memorial to the men and women of the Armed Forces, many of whom had died in active service during World War II.

​The first parade welcomed an estimated 7,500 visitors, joining Phoenixville’s Mayor Arthur H. Tompkins, who served as the grand marshal and numerous distinguished guests, including General Shannon and Col. Henry Beeuwkes, who was the first commander of the newly opened Valley Forge General Hospital on the edge of town.

The very first Dogwood Queen was 1943 Phoenixville High School graduate Regina Glowacki, who was elected by her fellow students through the sale of War Bonds and War Stamps, which netted a total of $18,154.85.

During the parade, floats were very prominent among local organizations. The Rotary Club from Phoenixville had a horse-drawn float with a large Rotary wheel, with the edges of the float surrounded by flags of the United Nations. The Junior Red Cross had blood donors riding along on a large float adorned by greens and a large “bottle” of blood with the words “That They May Live.” The Phoenixville High School Band, under the direction of Walter Sample, provided marching music for the soldiers marching from the Valley Forge General Hospital.

The Phoenixville Jaycees Foundation continues the rich tradition of the Annual Dogwood Festival and Parade. Over 50,000 visitors take part in the annual festivities, which have become the second-largest parade in Chester County.

All the money raised by the Jaycees stays in the Phoenixville community.