The 2015 Dogwood Fine Arts Festival is only a few short days away from kicking off its nine days worth of shows and activities that celebrate the humanities.

Organizers are encouraging people to share the news about the festival with friends and family, and offering a nifty incentive for those who do so.

The festival is giving away two tickets for festival’s three largest attractions this week, in a special promotion on the its Facebook page. People can enter the drawing by liking and sharing the page, located at facebook.com/DogwoodFineArts, by noon Friday.

The winner will receive two free tickets to their choice of one of three upcoming shows: storyteller Tim Lowry’s performance on Wednesday, May 13; author Gary Shteyngart’s talk on Friday, May 15; or musician Melissa Manchester’s concert on Saturday, May 16.

“Who doesn’t like something for free, especially when it’s for something fun?” said festival secretary Bobbie Jo Hartline.

Organizers with the festival came up with the idea of the contest several days ago as a way of generating more buzz around the festival, which opens on Friday. The organizers hope people will use this as an opportunity to share the information about the over-weeklong event with friends online, including those who live outside the area, Hartline said.

“We’re always trying to find ways to make connections, and Facebook is a great way to do so,” she said.

While the festival’s Facebook page and website have become invaluable resources for spreading information about the event, strong word of mouth has always been the backbone for much of its ticket sales in the past, especially when it was first established in 1993, Hartline said.

“Besides posters, word of mouth was the only opportunity you had to know about the festival,” she said.

By sharing information about the festival, the organizers are hoping that it will attract additional eyes to the city of Dowagiac, Hartline said.

With many people ordering their tickets in the days leading up to the shows, sales are beginning to really heat up, Hartline said.

“The phones have been pretty crazy lately,” she said. “We’ll have some really good houses by the time the shows start.”

The contest ends at noon on Friday, when the winner will be announced, she said.

“It’s easy, it’s free and it’s fun,” Hartline said. “Why wouldn’t you want to participate?”

People wanting to buy tickets or learn more about the festival can call the Dogwood Fine Arts Festival office at (269) 782-1115, (866) 490-2847 or can visit them on the web at www.dogwoodfinearts.org.