CityView Magazine

60 | April • 2014 Cape Fear Crematory, Inc. More cost effective than traditional burial We offer private family viewings Affordable direct cremation Services available 24 hours Family owned and operated for over 30 years 6765 Sandy Creek Road | Stedman, NC 28391 | 910.323.8898 | www.capefearcrematory.com "Where compassion and care run the business" ing the last weekend in April will cause a change in the fes- tival's usual live entertainment schedule. "We normally do country on Friday and Rock on Satur- day, but we switched it this year," she said. Saturday night's country music concert will feature John Michael Montgomery (pictured above), a Kentucky native whose heartfelt songs include "Love You Like at" and "Letters from Home." "He's old school, but old school works for us," King said. Sunday's performance will feature beach music with per- fect mood-setting tunes to coincide with the day's relaxed atmosphere. In addition to live entertainment, the festival will spot- light street vendors, from arts and cras and commercial goods, to information about local non-profit organizations and event sponsors and all types of food. Festival patrons in years past have enjoyed wok-fired soba noodles cooked with fresh, seasonal vegetables, and doused in a secret Hawaiian sauce from Island Noodles and piping hot funnel cakes covered in powdered sugar from Tropical Island Concessions. Who's to say, this year's lineup will be any less mouth-watering? Irma Trantham, a resident of the Fayetteville area for many years, has been going to the festival for as long as she can remember. "Oh, the food is great," she said, recalling empanadas as her favorite treat. ese meat-filled pastries served at the festival remind Trantham of her Puerto Rican heritage, she said. "It's very encouraging to see [the city] embrace different cultures," she said. One culture that is always prominent at the Fayetteville Dogwood Festival is that of the South. "If it's fried, we have it: fried brownies, fried pickles, there's a little bit of everything," King laughingly said. Food vendors might be a top priority for some, but oth- ers come for the shopping. "I am excited about the commercial vendors—the unique boutique stores," King said. "It's not the typical things you can find at the mall. I think that is what is excit- ing about the vendors and what you can shop for at Dog- wood. ese are specialty items that are unique to the street fair experience." Vendors will line the streets: from the Market House down to Hay Street until Huske Hardware House Restau- rant and Brewery, curving down Ray Street toward the public library and through the promenade to Festival Park. In the past, the event has been cash-only. However, this year is expected to be more customer-friendly and partici- pants will be able to use credit/debit cards. e Fayetteville Dogwood Festival is always packed with entertainment for people of all ages and this year's event is turning up the intensity. New to the 400 block, which runs from Huske Hardware John Michael Montgomery

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