As the seasons transition to cooler temps, and the colors of nature illuminate the trees one last time before winter, the Fayetteville community will be in full swing preparing for a staple jamboree unlike any other.
Celebratory of its small-town, Southern roots and historical significance, the fall Fayetteville Dogwood Festival brings together community members of all ages.
From children’s downtown hayrides to the more adult “historic hauntings” — cemetery tours with an historic, spooky twist; from scrumptious carnival foods — think cotton candy and popcorn — to one-of-a-kind craft vendors; from Battle of the Bands and a dueling piano show to a car and motorcycle show contests, the event is one that’s sure to leave a lasting impression on all who attend.
“We are staple to the community,” said Sarahgrace Snipes, executive director of The Fayetteville Dogwood Festival, a 501c4 nonprofit. “People hear Dogwood Festival (and) they get super excited…it’s one of the two events that they normally go to.”
That’s because the Dogwood Festival also puts on a similar event in spring, though that initiative draws in thousands more than the fall event. According to the organization’s website, the spring event gathers between 200,000 and 250,000 while the fall festival brings in a much smaller crowd. 
However, Snipes was unable to provide an estimated average of attendees. She said due to the fall festival’s newer nature, the crowd size always varies depending on the event’s activities. The fall event has been around since at least 2015; whereas the spring festival is gearing up to celebrate its 40th anniversary this coming April.
This year’s fall Dogwood Festival is set for Oct. 15-17. Festivities will take place in the 14-acre Festival Park on Saturday and Sunday, while Friday’s activities will simply include hayrides and historic hauntings at the promenade near downtown.
After the COVID-19 pandemic canceled last year’s family-friendly festivities, festival planners are eager for its return — not only to reinstate one of the area’s most beloved happenings but also to allow one of the organization’s main funding sources to return.
“It’ll also be another opportunity for people to get out of the house, which is everybody’s favorite phrase now,” Snipes said in reference to the quarantine measures of 2020.
While Snipes couldn’t elaborate on budget details at time of publication, she did tell the Greater Fayetteville Business Journal that among the two Dogwood Festivals and a third summer concert series — dubbed Fayetteville After Five, which runs June through August — that  nonprofit hosts during the year, all monies raised from the events benefit the nonprofit. The funds are not only used to put on the events but also help market them in the community. In return, the events aid in promoting Fayetteville’s unique characteristics and culture.
“We are responsible for collecting our own funds and use them to plan future events,” Snipes said, “and so we focus not only on the sustainability of the community but also of the organization itself, because without people, there wouldn’t be a Dogwood Festival.”
In addition to the smaller, more intimate crowd size, another primary difference between the spring and fall festivals is that the fall event’s details change year-to-year depending on who’s in charge. Simply put, it’s the Executive Director who decides “on what it looks like,” Snipes said.
“In the past, we have had larger headliners like Brett Young, or some years (we) have just haunted houses,” she said. “(The festival) is still relatively new to the organization itself.”
There’s also a close collaboration between the festival planning and Dogwood Festival board, which currently includes 15 members — but has been as large as 18.
“What makes (the event) unique is that we have a working board,” Snipes said. “They are our sole volunteers. We interact with them frequently — more than you would a normal nonprofit board — so they have the opportunity to contribute opinions. …They are there to support and work the events..”
The fall festival is expected to bring in between 50 and 100 vendors—many of whom are selling exclusive handmade trinkets and foods.
“They are the most interesting people you’ll ever see because they bring the most interesting products,” Snipes said. “You’ll see bowls; you’ll see pins; you’ll see cutting boards; you’ll see some vendors with their own honey, lip balm, essential owls. You know that they’re bringing them out of their own backyard, and it’s a product that they’re making themselves.”
For more information on The Fayetteville Dogwood Festival, visit thedogwoodfestival.com.