History of the Shelbyville Dogwood Festival

The Shelbyville Dogwood Festival began in 1973, honoring former Shelbyville Mayor, Paul F. Schmidt.  Mayor Schmidt first donated 351 dogwood trees to property owners along Main Street in 1938.  He continued to donate them to Shelbyville’s citizens until 1944, for a whopping total of 2,048 trees!

Ms. George Ann Carpenter chaired the first historical celebration. Carpenter was a retired teacher at the Shelbyville Graded School, and in a two-room schoolhouse at Clark Station.  She had taken art classes at the University of Kentucky and later exhibited her work of decorated eggshells and pressed flowers at the festival.  The first exhibitors at the Dogwood Festival were mostly homemakers, but by the late 1970’s artists and craftsmen from around the state also showcased their work.

Originally held in downtown Shelbyville, the festival was rained out in 1976, so it was moved to the Shelby County Fairgrounds the following year. A flea market was also held as part of the festival, in the Village Plaza parking lot. Other activities included puppet shows for the kids, sheep shearing and wool spinning demonstrations, and the Life Singers of Shelbyville gave a concert on the old courthouse steps.

You can still see some of the dogwood trees Mayor Schmidt donated throughout Shelbyville today, but sadly, they are reaching the end of their lifespan. The average dogwood only lives approximately 80 years.