With spring in the air, Paducah’s 59th annual Dogwood Trail isn’t far off. The yearly tradition brings thousands of visitors to McCracken County to see the city’s natural beauty as the local dogwood trees come into peak bloom.
The Paducah Civic Beautification Board recently announced this year’s trail will officially begin Monday and run through the next Sunday, April 16.
The McCracken County seat enjoys a “significant increase in tourism” every spring associated with the Dogwood Trail, according to CBB member Bruce Carter.
“As someone who grew up in Paducah, I can just speak for myself and say that it's kind of a rite of spring,” Carter said. “The dogwoods bloom a few weeks later than the cherry blossoms or the red buds in their prime, but I think you can kind of know by the time that the [dogwoods] bloom that spring has really gotten going.”
Former Paducah mayor Dolly McNutt was one of the trail’s major proponents, helping to start the annual tradition in 1964 after being inspired by a similar trail held in Knoxville, Tennessee when she visited.
The trail’s original two blocks on Sycamore Street have blossomed into a roughly eight-mile driving tour that weaves through several neighborhoods, highlighting the city’s dogwood trees and landscapes.
Eight homes along the trail will be recognized for having the most outstanding dogwood trees. The winners will receive a plaque, cash prize and decorative banner designed by local artist Carol Vander Boegh.
Signs will be placed in the yards of the award-winning homes on April 12 to showcase this year’s winners. The judging of this year’s Dogwood Trail will be based on daytime presentation. While winners will not be required to light their trees in the evening as in previous years, lighting is encouraged so that visitors may enjoy the trail day or night.
Paducah Civic Beautification Board Chair Jackie Smith hopes that people will continue to plant dogwoods in their yards in Paducah so that the trail can continue to grow “for generations to come.”
The Dogwood Trail is more than a driving tour. It also includes several other activities throughout April and May:
- Paducah elementary school students were invited to participate in creating artwork with a focus on the beautiful dogwoods. An exhibition of the young artists’ work can be viewed in the City Hall atrium through April 21 and then in the City Commission Chambers on the second floor from April 22 through May 9.
- An awards ceremony for the Dogwood Trail and Children’s Dogwood Art Contest winners will be held at the May 9 meeting of the Paducah Board of Commissioners at City Hall.
- The Paducah Area Transit System (PATS) Trolley will provide a free tour of the Dogwood Trail on Thursday, April 13. This is a first come event with the trolley running from 2 until 4 p.m. departing from 850 Harrison Street. Rides will be narrated by Paducah Ambassadors sharing dogwood facts and Paducah history.
- BikeWorld Paducah will host its annual Dogwood Trail Bicycle Ride on Sunday, April 16, at 2:30 p.m. Participants of all abilities are welcome. Bike helmets are required. The ride will begin and end at BikeWorld, 809 Joe Clifton Drive, with a picnic to follow.
Trail maps and other information can be found on the Paducah Convention & Visitors Bureau website.