The
Dogwood
Festival
called
off
plans
for
a
public
protest
in
hopes
of
striking
a
deal
with
members
of
the
Atlanta
City
Council
to
allow
large
festivals,
including
Atlanta
Pride,
back
into
Piedmont
Park.
The
Dogwood
Festival
Board
of
Directors
initially
urged
supporters
to
attend
the
Aug.
18
Atlanta
City
Council
meeting,
but
called
it
off
at
the
last
moment.
Executive
Director
Brian
Hill
said
Dogwood
supporters
would
have
been
competing
with
more
than
30
speakers
who
addressed
the
city
on
other
pressing
issues,
including
the
closing
of
Fire
House
No.
7
in
West
Atlanta
and
the
firing
of
a
city
arborist.
“It
might
not
have
gone
our
way,”
Hill
said.
Instead,
Dogwood
organizers
met
with
a
city
councilmember
they
said
is
sympathetic
to
the
festival’s
plight.
He
did
not
respond
to
interview
requests
to
verify
his
position.
Hill
said
his
board
is
working
with
the
councilmember
to
draft
legislation
allowing
all
Class
A
events,
including
Pride,
Dogwood,
the
Peachtree
Road
Race
and
the
city’s
Jazz
Festival,
back
into
Piedmont
Park
next
year.
Councilmember
Anne
Fauver,
whose
district
encompasses
Piedmont
Park,
said
the
decision
will
be
made
in
October,
following
a
report
that
considers
drought
conditions
and
the
state
of
Piedmont
Park’s
hybrid
Bermuda
grass
turf.
“I
would
love
to
see
the
festivals
back
in
Piedmont
Park,”
Fauver
said.
“A
very
large
percent
of
the
communication
that
I
have
gotten
from
people
about
festivals
in
the
park
favor
putting
festivals
back
in
the
park.”
Fauver
said
she
believes
the
decision
should
be
made
based
on
an
assessment
of
the
drought
conditions.
A
poll
by
the
Midtown
Neighborhood
Association
showed
that
68
percent
of
residents
consider
returning
Class
A
events
to
Piedmont
Park
an
important
or
very
important
priority.
Although
any
proposed
legislation
may
be
popularly
supported,
it
would
likely
face
opposition
from
several
council
members.
Fauver
said
the
decision
should
be
made
by
those
in
charge
of
the
city’s
parks
and
culture
departments,
and
likely
can’t
be
rushed.
“They
will
make
it
as
soon
as
they
can
make,
and
I
don’t
think
they
can
make
it
until
the
fall,”
she
said.
Up
to
1,200
artists
apply
for
Dogwood’s
300
spots.
Considered
one
of
the
top
20
fine
art
festivals
in
the
nation,
the
April
festival
attracts
some
of
the
country’s
top
talent.
Organizers
worry
that
talent
might
go
somewhere
else
if
a
venue
is
not
finalized
soon.
“It’s
urgent
in
that
we
still
have
artists
making
decisions
what
show
they
are
going
to
attend
this
year,
and
if
we
don’t
have
options
on
what
we
can
show
them,
they
are
going
to
go
with
a
sure
thing,”
Hill
said.
The
Atlanta
Pride
Committee
has
been
quietly
supporting
Dogwood’s
efforts.
Pride
officers
were
prepared
to
attend
the
city
council
meeting
in
support
of
Dogwood,
but
likewise
stepped
back.
While
Pride
has
a
later
deadline
than
Dogwood
to
finish
lining
up
talent,
it
is
beginning
to
look
at
options
for
next
year’s
festival.
Atlanta
Pride
Program
Director
Darie
Wolfson
said
Pride
hopes
to
have
a
clear
vision
after
a
meeting
of
the
festival
committee
on
Aug.
23.
“It’s
tough
because
we
don’t
know
what’s
going
to
happen
to
the
park,
and
it’s
really
out
of
our
control,”
said
Wolfson,
who
is
now
Pride’s
only
paid
employee.
The
Aug.
23
Pride
committee
meeting
will
be
the
first
held
since
Donna
Narducci
and
Jennifer
Sheffield,
the
former
executive
and
festival
directors,
left
the
organization
at
the
end
of
July.
Wolfson
has
been
collecting
information
for
the
Pride
board
to
consider.
Pride
Chair
Deirdre
Heffernan
said
Pride
would
like
to
be
back
in
the
park,
but
is
looking
at
other
options.
“I
think
it
is
the
first
choice
for
a
venue
for
most
folks.
However,
to
be
prepared
for
another
ban,
we
plan
to
start
evaluation
of
other
venues
in
the
next
several
weeks,”
Heffernan
said.
Before
the
festival
Pride
created
the
5,000
Foundation,
with
the
idea
of
creating
a
pool
of
small
donors
that
could
raise
$100,000
for
the
festival.
Pride
recently
started
a
campaign
to
raise
$100,000
in
90
days.
As
of
press
time
Aug.
20,
the
Pride
website
reported
less
than
200
people
have
donated
money.
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