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History
 The Vinton Band Boosters saw the need for new
uniforms for the William Byrd High School band. So,
to finance the project, the band boosters sold small
dogwood trees. The idea 'caught on’ and fun-loving
Vintonites parlayed the dogwood sale into a
community project that culminated into a festival.
The first Queen was Janet Bowman of Jefferson High
School and the first Princess from William Byrd was
Miss Shelvy Plunkett. The year was 1956. The
following year, Vinton Town Council and the town
citizens decided to make it an annual event.
Invitations were sent to out-of-town bands, while
businesses and organizations around Vinton began
making plans for the floats they would enter in the
parade.
And a cloak of secrecy was thrown around the float
building activities for there were those who were
not above “lifting” some unique ideas from someone
else.
By the time Festival Fever struck again, Vinton was
well established as “The Dogwood Capitol of
Virginia.” The five year dogwood-planting campaign,
which was instituted at the first festival, was
paying off and the beautiful blooms could be seen
everywhere.
By 1959, the public clamor for “bigger and better”
festivals made it necessary to search for additional
funds and contributions. Town Council came up with
$500 while the Chamber of Commerce added $750 to the
fund. The Vinton Woman’s Club donated another $100
plus various donations from individuals.
Vinton had a sensational Dogwood Festival. Crowds
viewing the parade were estimated at around 10,000.
By the time the 1960 Festival came, it took 800
people to participate in the show. Six hundred of
these were school children. Such notables as Richard
H. Poff, Senator James C. lurk of Radford, and
Delegate Nelson R. Thurman of Roanoke County rode in
the parade.
And so it has grown. Over the past fifty years,
Vinton has played host to countless numbers who have
heard either by word of mouth or publicity of “the
wonderful Vinton Dogwood Festival.” Some of the best
names in radio, television and other entertainment
media have been in Vinton as Parade Marshals for the
Festival. This list includes such names as Steve
McQueen, Martha Tilton, Bobby Vinton, and Minnie
Pearl. |
