The Paducah Civic Beautification Board (CBB) is announcing the winners of the 60th Annual Dogwood Trail. Signs are being placed in yards to alert visitors of this year’s winners. An awards ceremony will be May 14 at 5 p.m. during the Paducah Board of Commissioners meeting at City Hall. There will be a reception at City Hall before the meeting at 4:30.
Special Category Winners
- Dolly McNutt Award, Tom and Liz Kohler, 3400 West Jefferson Street
- Baby Dogwood Award, Kenny and Bonnie Martin, 1744 Jefferson Street
- Dogwood Door Award, Laura and Charlotte Bray, 314 Wallace Lane
Dogwood Trail Award Winners
- Charlie and Gail Ransler, 2830 Broadway
- Justin & Hope Emmons, 2614 Jefferson Street
- Patrick Weeks, Nicolas Weeks, Hershy Dayal, 4160 Rustic Avenue
- Jeff and Suellen Johnson, 635 Woodland Drive
- John Park and Matthew Turley, 3426 Forest Circle
- Denny Roof, 226 Wallace Lane
- Dorothy Barnard and Megan Westerfeld, 4405 Buckner Lane
Dogwood Off-trail Award Winners
- J. Boone and Ragan Reed, 101 Deer Path Lane
- Robert and Pat Hobbs, 661 Whitney Drive
The Dogwood Trail, which lasts through Saturday, April 13, is dedicated to the memory of Mary Hammond. Hammond, who served as Paducah Convention & Visitors Bureau Executive Director, was a member of the Paducah Civic Beautification Board for 37 years.
This year’s eight-mile lighted trail is spectacular both day and night. Reflective signs, designed by CBB Chair Carol Vanderboegh, are placed at each turn in the trail. Drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians can enjoy the beautiful dogwoods, flowering shrubs, and lovely landscaping in Paducah’s neighborhoods. This year, the CBB secured 60 new dogwood trees which have been planted throughout the city.
Dogwood Trail Trolley Ride - On Thursday, April 11, there will be a Dogwood Trail Trolley Ride. There are two rides on that date on a first come basis. The rides will be at 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. Each ride is $1.00 per person and departs from the Paducah Area Transit System (PATS) office located at 850 Harrison Street.
Dogwood Trail Bicycle Ride - To wrap up the week of Dogwood Trail activities, make plans to enjoy the Dogwood Trail Bicycle Ride. The free annual event will be Sunday, April 14 at 2:30 p.m. with riders departing from BikeWorld located at 809 Joe Clifton Drive. Bike helmets are required. This event, which has been held more than 30 years, allows riders to enjoy a leisurely ride along the Dogwood Trail and then back to BikeWorld. The course is approximately 11 miles with opportunities for riders to adjust the distance. After the ride, everyone is invited to enjoy a meal at BikeWorld. If there is rain or storms at the time of the ride, it will be postponed until April 21.
Dogwood Trail History – In 1964, when Dolly McNutt, chair of the Civic Beautification Board, visited Knoxville, Tennessee, she was taken by the beauty of Knoxville's lighted dogwoods. When she returned to Paducah, she persuaded members of the CBB that sponsoring a lighted dogwood trail would benefit Paducah. The first trail was two blocks long along Sycamore in Paducah's west end. The tour now is several miles in length showcasing Dogwood, Japanese Maple, Red Bud, and Weeping Cherry trees as well as blooming garden areas and other flowering species.
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