Winchester’s 5th Annual International Dogwood Festival Honors Japan

The world became a smaller place years ago and Japan and Tennessee have come together to share customs and food, music, laughter, and umbrellas. It did rain again this year. It didn’t, how ever, slow down the fun at Winchester’s 5th Annual International Dogwood Festival www.winchesterdogwoodfestival.com. Only in Winchester do they still dance in the streets thru snow, rain and even long forgotten sunshine.
The day was cloudy but the bands took the stage and the vendors filled the square. There were booths that demonstrated origami, Kimonos and Japanese games such as Kendama. The object of Kendama is to catch a ball in a cup like handle or on a spike. To learn more about Kendama go to http://www.kendama-world.com. All except for the Japanese game of “Go”, for those of you not familiar with “Go”, to me it is a cross between chess and battle ship. My youngest started the “Go” club at Tennessee Tech and oops! I forgot.
Home Depot www.HomeDepot.com was a major sponsor so in the kid’s zone there was plenty of rides and building going on.

The Hannah Express  train (http://www.hannahexpress.com) took children and adults around waving as it went by. What a great ride.  While at the Main stage Sonnys Dance Studio puts on an amazing peformance.

It was their 30 year reunion performance.

 The Freestyle Connection owned by Jon Dowkeer came and, when it wan’t raining, they were jumping their BMX bikes and bringing awareness to how a drug free lifestyle can bring more to your life. If you would like Jon and the crew to come to your school or organization contact them at their e-mail address:  thefreestyleconnection@hotmail.com

Despite the rain there were plenty of vendors to get food, lemonade, toys, and trinkets. One of the most unique vendors I saw this festival was the Bottle Cap Babes. Owners Cristi Wilson and Sherry Bilyeu are makers of Bottle Cap Jewelry. One of my favorite vendors had chocolate covered cheesecake. I would not put mine down even to photograph Mustang Sally. But I figured it out – take a bite take a picture.
I have so many pictures of Winchester’s 5th Annual International Dogwood Festival I am posting the fun on my space at:  myspace.com/jaynestnpicscom

The bands played all day on two stages. I saw old favorites and made new acquaintances. Some of our local favorites were out and it didn’t matter which genre you liked. For Country Music we had Kenton Koty, Steve Middlebrooks and the Sleepin Hounds http://sleepinhounds.com. We Rocked with Magnolia www.magnoliacountry.com  Tristan McKay and Nicole Lea are as talented as they are beautiful. And Entice www.enticemusic.com who plays music going back into the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s up to today’s current sounds. Chris Cline and The Wild West Band http://www.thewildwestband.com  are both rising on the country charts but play a little of everything in between. One of the new artists I meet was Daniel Smith http://www.danielsmithmusic.net. He is tall, quiet and laid back.

Cody Huber came out in his usual laid back, charismatic way that made me a Johnny Cash fan. BEITTHEMEANS http://www.beitthemeans.net are the young group. They are described as loud, nasty, backdoor-slamming, southern rock from the Bible belt. Look for their new C.D. ”Crude Alabama Storytellers”
I didn’t get to see all the bands but early Saturday evening Mustang Sally www.mustangsallyband.com rolled in. This is a band that you really don’t have a choice but to move while you listen. As you can see here they are more than a little interactive with the audience. These young ladies fire up the stage and audience.
The Road Hammers http://www.theroadhammers.com come from Canada down the southern pike to show us how it’s done. They never disappoint. The energy and excitement that comes from this band amazes me. In person they are so quiet as if to save all their energy for the show.

The rain stayed all day but it didn’t discourage any of the bands and Aaron Tippin http://aarontippin.musiccitynetworks.com still played to a packed square. He did an excellent job and, as you can see, he brought out his famous guitar and he also gave tribute to the members of the armed forces represented by the Marines. Arron Tippin seen here donated an early present to the Toys for Tots. Arron Tippins’ show is full of surprises.
Winchester is one of my favorite festivals. It’s a place where performers can walk across the square and get a cup of coffee at San Miguel Coffee Co.www.sanmiguelcoffeeco.com or go shopping in the little shops around the square.    Until they get on stage then they are packed in, come rain or come shine.
We want to give a special shout out to Home Depot (www.HomeDepot.com), American Stage Company, LLC (www.americanstagecompany.com), and Stage Tops U.S.A. (www.stagetopsusa.com) Special thanks to the Wal-Mart of Winchester, for providing the Guitar Hero.
Thanks to the City of Winchester, TN for keeping this a free event. One you can bring the family and share in fun, food and music. Special thanks to their Japanese guests who showed us a little more about their culture.

Look for up and coming stories on Magnolia, Entice, Kenton Koty and more of our local favorites.