Quincy Reporter

We are thrilled to welcome back the Dogwood Parade!

Registration for the 2022 Quincy Area Chamber Dogwood Parade presented by Blessing Health System is now open. Contact Communications & Public Relations Manager, Kenyetta McFall at (217) 222-7980 or kenyetta@quincychamber.org for more information.

Register using the form below for the 2022 Blessing Health System Dogwood Parade: “Celebrating Our Community Blessings”

The Quincy Area Chamber of Commerce is thrilled to welcome back the annual Dogwood Weekend to celebrate our beautiful, historical dogwoods and our Community Blessings: The Businesses of Quincy and surrounding areas! After everything our community endured these last 2 years, the theme this year for the Blessing Health System Dogwood Parade is “Celebrating Our Community Blessings.” The parade will be held on Saturday, May 7 at 9:20 am on Maine Street.

Parade participants are encouraged to use the theme to show off their businesses for they are truly the blessings to Quincy’s Community!  They have SurThrived (Survived and Thrived) through some challenging times.

Thank you to our Major Sponsor Blessing Health System.  We look forward to this year’s celebration!

Register Now

Dogwood Float Prizes

Three prizes will be given out for the most creative use of the theme:

1. The Mary Lou Kent Theme Award is for the float with the best use of the parade theme.
2. The Governor’s Award goes to a float that’s larger than 10 feet in length and uses the theme.
3. The Mayor’s Award goes to a float that’s 10 feet in length or shorter and uses the theme.

Dogwood Weekend History

Quincy is one of the northern-most communities in the nation where Dogwoods can be grown. Following an effort by a local service club in conjunction with the Garden Club, the city boasted of a good number of the beautiful trees and was featured in an article in “Flower and Garden” magazine. Mary Lou Kent, who worked at the Chamber at that time, decided the Chamber should organize a Dogwood Festival to promote Quincy and tourism in the city when those trees were in full bloom. The first Dogwood Festival was in 1969. Mary Lou Kent went on to become a state legislator.