Jim Long Jr. is the Dogwood Festival’s newest executive director, the board of directors for the longtime Fayetteville event announced Tuesday.

Long, a U.S. Army veteran, has experience in project management and entertainment, a press release states. Most recently, he has managed race track events throughout the Southeast. He previously had a lease operating the Fayetteville Motor Speedway, according to a 2016 Fayetteville Observer article.

“Mr. Long’s proven business acumen will be an incredible asset to the stability and future of the Festival,” said R. Andrew Porter, the board’s chairperson. “Moreover, it is our hope that with the hiring of Mr. Long, alongside the unbelievable success of this year’s Dogwood Festival, that we will be able to build and develop a truly memorable Dogwood Festival experience for the community in 2025.”

Long’s first day in the position was Oct. 1.

“The Dogwood Festival is a significant part of our community,” he said in a press release. “Not only does the community look forward to the Festival each year, but the region looks forward to visiting Downtown Fayetteville to experience a premier event. I am honored to be selected to serve my community in such a way.”

The Fayetteville Dogwood Festival was founded in 1982 by community leaders and first staged in April 1983. The Fayetteville Dogwood Festival Inc. is an independent nonprofit organization headed by a team of unpaid volunteers, though they have hired paid staff, including an executive director.

The 2020 festival was canceled because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Since then, it has faced pressures of inflationary costs along with the rest of the country, board members previously told CityView.

The previous executive director, Sarahgrace Snipes Mitchell, who resigned in June 2023, is now a planner for the Cumberland County government. Two former executive directors of the Dogwood Festival were also embroiled in a lawsuit this spring.

Despite financial troubles and a recent storm of controversy, difficulty and criticism, festival organizers paid off $42,000 in debts in the spring and this year’s celebration drew thousands downtown, CityView reported.