Local News

Fayetteville Dogwood Festival hires new director

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Tuesday, 07 January 2025

Written by Evey Weisblat, CityView Today

Two months ago, the Fayetteville Dogwood Festival announced a new executive director. He resigned just days into his employment.
Now, the festival has hired another director who says she’s ready to usher it into a new era.
The organization announced on social media that Kaylynn Suarez will take the helm of the city’s major spring festival, which has drawn as many as 250,000 people downtown in recent years. The Fayetteville Dogwood Festival is an independent, nonprofit organization that has held the annual event since 1983.
The festival is set for April 25-27. Suarez told CityView that it’s “going to be a good one.”
“The 2025 festival is one that we’re all going to be proud of,” Suarez added.
Previously, Suarez worked in the marketing, event planning management and nonprofit spheres. For the last seven years, she worked in real estate marketing in Florida and North Carolina. Most recently, she was a part of the Patty Herrera Home Team of Litchfield Realty in Fayetteville and worked as an event planner at Sol’s Arcade + Taproom.
She also previously worked for the U.S. Department of State in the grant division at the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait. The wife of an active-duty civil affairs Army officer and mother of two, Suarez has lived in Fayetteville periodically since 2017 and moved back for the second time last Christmas.
Suarez’s hiring comes after the two most recent directors resigned: Sarahgrace Mitchell in spring 2023 after two years in the position, and Jim Long Jr. in October, after 10 days. Long declined to say at the time exactly why he left, and board members were also reluctant to name a specific reason.
Meanwhile, two other former executive directors of the festival are in a lawsuit against each other.
The festival has struggled financially in recent years, and had to cut back on prominent musical acts during the 2024 festival.
However, board members reported in the spring that the festival’s debts are paid off, and Suarez said she’s confident about securing sponsorships and working with local businesses ahead of the 2025 festival. She said there will be live entertainment akin to previous years.
With local businesses and vendors, Suarez said the festival is emphasizing “quality over quantity,” as part of its strategy to generate renewed excitement about the festival.
“I know things have shifted over the years, and I really want to get it back to the previous years where everybody was more excited about the event and felt more like a community block party than anything,” Suarez said. “But our goal is to raise those funds so we can make sure we get there. And this will definitely be a good year as far as I’m concerned. I’m confident that we are going to bring it back to glory days.”
Suarez also spoke to her excitement over the board of directors’ assistance in the festival planning process.
“This is the first nonprofit I’ve worked with where it’s like, ‘Nope, we all have a job. We’re all here,’ and that’s something I’m extremely excited about,” Suarez said. “And I don’t think they get enough credit.”
Andrew Porter, the board’s chair, declined to comment and forwarded CityView’s request to Suarez.

Dogwood Festival announces 2025 dates, vendor applications now open

The dates for the 2025 Dogwood Festival have been officially announced! Mark your calendars for April 25-27. If you're looking to participate as a vendor in the 2025 Dogwood Festival, now is the time to apply.
Vendor applications are open, and the deadline to submit your application is Feb. 28, at 11:59 p.m. Don't miss out on the chance to showcase your products or services to thousands of festivalgoers.
Vendor announcements will be made on March 14. Spots fill up quickly, so be sure to apply as soon as possible to secure your place at one of the most anticipated events of the year. Visit bit.ly/DWF2025Application to apply.

(Kaylynn Suarez is the new director of the Fayetteville Dogwood Festival.)