North Carolina Azalea Festival - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Overview

The North Carolina Azalea Festival takes place every year in the city of Wilmington, North Carolina

Wilmington, North Carolina

Wilmington is a port city in and is the county seat of New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States. The population is 106,476 according to the 2010 Census, making it the eighth most populous city in the state of North Carolina...

. The Festival is a non-civic organization and is highly sponsored by the local community. It celebrates local art, the floral gardens, and the history of Wilmington. The festival lasts for five days and takes place in the beginning of April. Attendance to the festival has grown to reach over 300,000 in 2008.
The Azalea Festival has become an event many travel to for vacation which has boosted Wilmington's local economy. Such businesses as car rental companies have benefited from the festival .
An estimated $5 million is given to the community through money raised for the festival.
The North Carolina Azalea Festival is also continually aiming to provide scholarships for local students. Several scholarship opportunities are available such as the Princess Scholarship Program. This program raises approximately $28,000 each year to give away through scholarship. Through this program, one young lady becomes the recipient of the Beverly Anne Jurgensen Scholarship Award which pays for one year's full tuition to an in-state college.

History

The Azalea Festival began in 1948 as an idea of Dr. W. Houston Moore, M.D. Dr. Moore held a meeting in Wilmington's Chamber of Commerce with leading civil club representatives to discuss and begin planning for the first Azalea Festival. The festival would take place in April 1948 and would serve the purpose of showcasing the beauty of the local gardens such as Airlie Gardens

Airlie Gardens

Airlie Gardens is a public garden in Wilmington, North Carolina.It were created in 1901 as a private garden, for the Pembroke Jones family by Mrs. Jones, as a lush, flowing, naturalistic Southern garden, with thousands of azaleas, camellias, magnolias, and wisteria...

, Orton Gardens, and Greenfield Gardens.
The first sidewalk show was also held in 1953 and has continued as tradition since .

Events

The North Carolina Azalea Festival has several events that cover a period of five days. Such events include street fairs, concerts, coin shows, boxing matches, art shows, a parade, a circus, and tours of homes and gardens. Regional media such as newspapers and television stations ensure wide coverage of all events which take place during the festival.
The main event of the festival is the garden tour which highlights the Wilmington area’s most beautiful gardens. The event begins with a ceremonious ribbon-cutting and the Queen, her court, the Belles, ticket holders and celebrities are all present during the tours .
Personal gardens of local homeowners are often featured in the tours; however, more established gardens such as Airlie Gardens

Airlie Gardens

, Orton Gardens, and Greenfield Gardens are often showcased as well.

Airlie Gardens

span 67 acres (271,139.6 m²) of Wilmington property and was created in 1901. The gardens are less than a mile from the ocean and are filled with all types of flora. Ownership of the Gardens has changed hands many times and has gone from being a 640 acres (2.6 km²) land grant from King George II in 1735 to a now comparably small 67 acres (271,139.6 m²) garden open for public viewing.
The garden showcases some of Wilmington’s finest land and flowers and is often used to host weddings because of its beauty and several attractive venues located within. The garden tours are available to the public and are a prominent stop in Wilmington for tourists. The tours include visits to several different areas of Airlie including the butterfly garden, a mystery grave, and the Minnie Evans

Minnie Evans

Minnie Evans was an African-American folk artist known for her colorful drawings primarily executed in crayon.- Life :...

Sculpture Garden which showcases the BottleChapel along with both metal and ceramic sculptures. Along with tours, Airlie also has summer camps and educational programs available to the public.

Orton Gardens

Orton Gardens, located in Winnabow, NC, showcases a beautiful display of typical Southern flora. This garden features walking trails and has been used as a location for several popular movies including The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood and A Walk to Remember. Orton Gardens began as a land grant from King Charles II in 1663. After several exchanging hands of owners over the centuries, the gardens came to rest as property of the Sprunt family and is now open to the public. James Sprunt, a Purser on Confederate blockade runners during the American Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

, purchased the plantation at age 18. James and his wife Luola added onto the Orton House in 1910, built a chapel in 1915, and also began creation of gardens on the plantation. Additions to the gardens continued through James’ son, Laurence, and an automobile accident involving Laurence’s cousin in the 1930s sparked the opening of the gardens to help pay for medical costs. Since, the gardens have remained open to the public.

Greenfield Gardens

Greenfield Gardens is “a lake front park featuring bald cypress and live oak trees, azaleas, camellias, roses, and crape myrtles ” located on South Third Street in Wilmington, NC. This garden showcases dogwoods, azaleas and other flora indigenous to the area. The gardens are part of Greenfield Park located in Wilmington.

Belles

A tradition held by the Azalea Festival is the Belles. These young ladies serve as hostesses and guides to the gardens in the area. They wear antebellum attire and serve as a mark of the NC Azalea Festival.
This tradition began in 1969 under Mrs. Harley Vance’s suggestion. Mrs. Harley Vance was the president of the Cape Fear Garden Club at that time. The first year, seven girls played the role of Azalea Belles.
To become an Azalea Belle, one must apply for the position; however, precedence is given to those girls who are either daughters or granddaughters of Cape Fear Garden Club members. Girls from New Hanover County High School are next in line for receiving the honor of becoming a NC Azalea Belle. If the Belle is not a member of the Cape Fear Garden Club, she may be “committee sponsored” by applying through the belle chairman .
New Azalea Belle policies were adopted in 2006. The number of belles needed for each year is dependent upon the size of the gardens in the tour and is determined by the belle chairman. Also, a young lady may only serve as a Belle one year and may not be in the Azalea Festival Teenage Princess Pageant during the year that she serves as a belle.

Queens

The North Carolina Azalea Festival has brought many known faces to the Wilmington area to serve as the Festival’s Queen. Queens arrive and are crowned during the first day of the festival. Past participants include:

1948- Jacqueline White

Jacqueline White

Jacqueline White is a former American film actress. She's probably best remembered appearing in the films noir Crossfire and The Narrow Margin. She usually played either lead actresses in B-movies or supporting parts in A-movies. Still active as of 2005, White appears occasionally at film...

1949- Martha Hyer

Martha Hyer

Martha Hyer is an American actress.She attended Northwestern University and was a member of Pi Beta Phi fraternity. After completing her education, she next appeared in The Locket in 1946...

1950- Gregg Sherwood

1951- Margaret Sheridan

Margaret Sheridan

Margaret Elizabeth Sheridan was an American actress of the early 1950s, and protégée of director Howard Hawks. The raven-haired beauty is best remembered for her role as Nikki Nickolson opposite Kenneth Tobey in the 1951 science fiction classic The Thing from Another World.-Career:She was born in...

1952- Cathy Downs

Cathy Downs

Cathy Downs was an American film actress.Born in Port Jefferson, New York, Downs began her film career with a small role in The Dolly Sisters and the following year played the title role in My Darling Clementine...

(actress)

1953- Alexis Smith

Alexis Smith

Alexis Smith was a Canadian-born stage, film, and television actress. She appeared in several major Hollywood movies in the 1940s and had a notable career on Broadway in the 1970s, winning a Tony Award in 1972.-Life and career:...

(actress)

1954- Ella Raines

Ella Raines

Ella Wallace Raines was an American film and television actress.-Life and career:Born Ella Wallace Raubes near Snoqualmie Falls, Washington, Raines studied drama at the University of Washington and was appearing in a play there when she was seen by Howard Hawks...

1955- Sara Shane

Sara Shane

Sara Shane was the stage name of Elaine Hollingsworth , an actress in film and television in the 1950s and early 1960s....

1956- Polly Bergen

Polly Bergen

Polly Bergen is an American actress, singer, and entrepreneur.-Career:Bergen appeared in many film roles, most notably in the original Cape Fear opposite Gregory Peck and Robert Mitchum...

1957- Kathryn Grayson

Kathryn Grayson

Kathryn Grayson was an American actress and operatic soprano singer.From the age of twelve, Grayson trained as an opera singer. She was under contract to MGM by the early 1940s, soon establishing a career principally through her work in musicals...

1958- Esther Williams

Esther Williams

Esther Jane Williams is a retired American competitive swimmer and MGM movie star.Williams set multiple national and regional swimming records in her late teens as part of the Los Angeles Athletic Club swim team...

1959- Debra Paget

Debra Paget

Debra Paget is an American actress and entertainer who rose to prominence in the 1950s and early 1960s in a variety of feature films including Cecil B. DeMille's epic The Ten Commandments and Love Me Tender, the film début of Elvis Presley.-Early life and career:Paget was born in Denver, Colorado...

1960- Linda Christian

Linda Christian

Linda Christian was a Mexican movie actress, who appeared in Mexican and Hollywood films. Her career reached its peak in the 1940s and 1950s. She played Mara in the last Johnny Weissmuller Tarzan film Tarzan and The Mermaids...

1961- Shelly Fabares

1962- Whitney Blake

Whitney Blake

Whitney Blake was an American film and television actress, director and producer.Blake was born as Nancy Ann Whitney in 1926 in Eagle Rock, Los Angeles, California, the first child of Martha Mae Wilkerson and Harry Whitney...

1963- Nancy Malone

Nancy Malone

Nancy Malone is an American television actress, principally in guest roles from the 1950s to 1970s, who moved into producing and directing in the 1980s and 1990s....

1964- Abby Dalton

Abby Dalton

Abby Dalton is an American actress.Born as Marlene Wasden in Las Vegas, Nevada, she has made numerous appearances on television, including the recurring role of "Julia Cumson" on Falcon Crest...

1965- Patricia Blair

Patricia Blair

Patricia Blair is an American television and film actress, primarily on 1950s and 1960s television. She is probably best known as Lou Mallory on the classic Western series The Rifleman where she co starred in 22 episodes with Chuck Connors, Johnny Crawford and veteran actor Paul Fix; and as...

1966- Ulla Strömstedt

Ulla Strömstedt

Ulla Strömstedt was a Swedish-born actress who appeared in several films and television shows. Her credits include The Rat Patrol, I Spy and Flipper, as well as a couple of guest appearances on the 1960s sitcom Hogan's Heroes.Strömstedt studied post-baccalaureate in Stockholm, language and art at...

1967- Melody Patterson

Melody Patterson

Melody Patterson is an American actress best known for her role as Wrangler Jane in the 1960s TV series F Troop...

1968- Linda Cristal

Linda Cristal

Linda Cristal is an Argentine actress. She is currently retired....

1969- Chris Noel

1970- Karen Jensen

1971- Phyllis Davis

Phyllis Davis

Phyllis Davis is an American actress who appeared primarily on television. She was most notably a part of the cast of Aaron Spelling's dramatic series Vega$, playing the character Beatrice Travis....

1972- Ann Elder

Ann Elder

Ann Elder is an American Emmy Award-winning screenwriter. She won Emmy awards also for comedy writing, . She also wrote for Mama's Family as well. Elder appeared several times on The Match Game during its run in the 1970s.-External links:...

1973- Joan Van Ark

Joan Van Ark

Joan Van Ark is an American actress, most notable for her role as Valene Ewing, which she originated on the CBS series Dallas and continued for thirteen seasons on its spin-off, Knots Landing...

1974- Sharon Gless

Sharon Gless

Sharon Marguerite Gless is an American character actress of stage, film and television, who is best known for her roles as Maggie Philbin on Switch , as Sgt. Christine Cagney in the police procedural drama series Cagney & Lacey and as Debbie Novotny in the Showtime cable television series Queer...

1975- Stephanie Braxton

Stephanie Braxton

Stephanie Braxton is an American television writer, playwright and actress. She married Dan Hamilton in 1970, but they are currently divorced...

1976- Rita McLaughlin

1977- Francesca James

Francesca James

Francesca James is an American soap opera director, actress, producer, writer, singer, and composer. She began her career by playing a small role on the CBS Daytime serial The Secret Storm. In 1970 she joined the cast of One Life to Live playing Marcy Wade for a year...

1978- Nancy Addison

Nancy Addison

Nancy Addison was an American soap opera actress, best known for her role on the television soap opera Ryan's Hope as Jillian Coleridge, which she played from 1975 until the show's demise in 1989.-Biography:...

1979- Laurie Walters

Laurie Walters

Laurie Jean Walters is an American former television actress, arguably best known for playing Joanie Bradford on Eight Is Enough, which aired from 1977 until 1981 on ABC....

1980- Lacey Neuhaus

1981- Maureen Teefy

Maureen Teefy

Maureen Jane Teefy is an American actress. Her films include Fame , Grease 2 and Supergirl .-Life and career:...

1982- Lynda Goodfriend

Lynda Goodfriend

Lynda Goodfriend is an American actress who is best remembered as Lori Beth Cunningham , Richie's girlfriend and later to become his wife on the TV sitcom, Happy Days. Prior to that, she played Ethel "Sunshine" Akalino on the short-lived series Blansky's Beauties...

1983- Tina Gayle

1984- Sharon Wyatt

1985- Phylicia Rashad

Phylicia Rashad

Phylicia Rashād is an American Tony Award winning actress and singer, best known for her role as Clair Huxtable on the long-running NBC sitcom The Cosby Show....

(first African-American Azalea Queen)

1986- Kim Zimmer

Kim Zimmer

Kim Zimmer is an American actress. She is known for her role as Echo DiSavoy on One Life to Live and best known for her role as Reva Shayne on Guiding Light.-Career:...

1987- Robin Greer

Robin Greer

Robin Greer is an American actress, noted for her roles in television soap operas.She played Sydney Price in the daytime series Ryan's Hope before switching to prime-time to play Dina Wells in Falcon Crest.-External links:...

1988- Kim Morgan Greene

Kim Morgan Greene

Kim Morgan Greene is an American actress.She is perhaps best known for her performance as Channing Carter Colby in the Dynasty spin-off series The Colbys...

1989- Rebeca Arthur

Rebeca Arthur

Rebeca Arthur is an American actress. She is best known as Mary Anne Spencer on Perfect Strangers .-Filmography:* 2000 The Watcher * 1997 Men Seeking Women...

1990- Kate Collins

1991- Tonja Walker

Tonja Walker

Tonja Walker is a former beauty pageant titleholder who has competed in the Miss USA pageant, an actress, and a singer. She is known for her role as Alex Olanov on One Life to Live and for her role as Olivia St. John Jerome on General Hospital.-Career:Walker held the Miss Teen All-American title...

1992- Clare Carey

Clare Carey

Clare Carey is a film and television actress.-Background:Carey was born at a Catholic mission in Zimbabwe where her father and mother were serving...

1993- Kelly Ripa

Kelly Ripa

Kelly Ripa is an American actress and television host. Since February 2001, she has served as the co-host of talk show Live with Regis and Kelly, along with Regis Philbin and now solo host of Live! With Kelly...

1994- Laura Sisk

1995- Laura Bonarrigo

1996- Gina Tognoni

Gina Tognoni

Gina Tognoni is an American actress.-Career:Tognoni has won Miss Rhode Island Teen USA in 1991 and Miss Rhode Island Teen All-American in 1993. In 1995, she was cast as Kelly Cramer on ABC's soap opera One Life to Live, a role she originated and portrayed to 2001...

1997- Lauren Roman (50th Azalea Queen, first Azalea Queen born in Wilmington)

1998- Alla Korot

Alla Korot

Alla Korot is an American actress and dancer.Korot was born in Odessa, Ukrainian SSR to Elena and Alex Korot. Korot and her family immigrated to the United States in 1977, and she subsequently grew up in San Francisco. Before acting, she performed for Ballet Celeste International with her family...

1999- Sydney Penny

Sydney Penny

Sydney Penny is an American Daytime Emmy-nominated actress best known for the roles of Julia Santos Keefer on the soap opera All My Children and Samantha "Sam" Kelly on the CBS soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful.She is of part Cherokee descent and raised in Chatsworth, California, the daughter...

2000- Nina Repeta

Nina Repeta

Nina Repeta is an American actress best known for her role as Bessie Potter on the television drama Dawson's Creek, which aired from 1998 to 2003....

2001- Nikki Deloach

2002- Valerie Wildman

2003- Tracey Bregman

2004- Dari Alexander

Dari Alexander

Dari Alexander is an American television anchor. She is co-anchor of WNYW's FOX 5 News at 5 and FOX 5 News at 10 newscasts, along with Ernie Anastos in New York City...

2005- Kelly Packard

Kelly Packard

Kelly Chemane Packard is an American actress who has starred in TV shows such as Baywatch and California Dreams and has also hosted shows such as Ripley's Believe It or Not!....

2006- Tanisha Lynn

Tanisha Lynn

Tanisha Lynn Eanes, known professionally as Tanisha Lynn is an American actress.-Brief biography:...

2007- Amy Pietz

Amy Pietz

Amy Pietz is an American film and television actress.-Early life:Pietz was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the adopted daughter of Nancy, a nurse, and Arnold Pietz, a truck driver. She trained throughout her childhood in ballet and prepared to go professional, but eventually decided not to due to...

2008- Barbara Alyn Woods

Barbara Alyn Woods

Barbara Alyn Woods is an American actress. She is best known for her roles in One Tree Hill, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show, and Striptease.-Filmography:...

2009- Amrapali Ambegaokar

2010- Lindsay Shaw

Celebrities

The Azalea Festival has been known to bring celebrities from all over the world to the southern town of Wilmington. Celebrities have served as guests, visitors, Queens, and emcees to the Festival. Some past Azalea Festival Celebrities include:

Ronald Reagan

Ronald Reagan

Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....

– 1959 Festival Emcee

Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan

Michael Jeffrey Jordan is a former American professional basketball player, active entrepreneur, and majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats...

– 1982

Cathy Downs

Cathy Downs

(actress) – 1952 Azalea Queen

Andy Griffith

Andy Griffith

Andy Samuel Griffith is an American actor, director, producer, Grammy Award-winning Southern-gospel singer, and writer. He gained prominence in the starring role in director Elia Kazan's epic film A Face in the Crowd before he became better known for his television roles, playing the lead...

– 1958 Festival Emcee

Phylicia Rashad

Phylicia Rashad

Phylicia Rashād is an American Tony Award winning actress and singer, best known for her role as Clair Huxtable on the long-running NBC sitcom The Cosby Show....

(actress) – 1985 Azalea Queen

Kelly Ripa

Kelly Ripa

– 1993 Azalea Queen

Esther Williams

Esther Williams

– 1958 Azalea Queen

Barbara Alyn Woods

Barbara Alyn Woods

Barbara Alyn Woods is an American actress. She is best known for her roles in One Tree Hill, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show, and Striptease.-Filmography:...

(actress) – 2008 Azalea Queen

Kevin Frazier

Kevin Frazier

Kevin Timothy Frazier is currently host of The Insider. Formerly, Frazier worked as an anchor at Fox Sports Net, later ESPN, where he hosted SportsCenter as well as a multitude of NBA themed programming and from 2004–2011, was a correspondent for Entertainment Tonight as well as...

– 2008

Chelsea Cooley

Chelsea Cooley

Chelsea Cooley is a beauty queen from Charlotte, North Carolina who has competed in the Miss Teen USA, Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants and who has held the Miss USA 2005 title....

(Miss USA 2005) – 2008

Captain Mark Davis (USN Grand Marshal) – 2008

Lee Norris

Lee Norris

Lee Michael Norris is an American actor, best known for his roles as Stuart Minkus on Boy Meets World and Marvin "Mouth" McFadden on One Tree Hill.-Early life:...

(actor) – 2008

Hilarie Burton

Hilarie Burton

Hilarie Ross Burton is an American actress. A former host of MTV's Total Request Live, she portrayed Peyton Sawyer on The CW drama One Tree Hill for six seasons...

(actress) – 2008

Chad Michael Murray

Chad Michael Murray

Chad Michael Murray is an American actor, former fashion model and spokesperson. Murray is well known for portraying Lucas Scott in The CW young adult drama series One Tree Hill, in addition to the commercially successful films A Cinderella Story, Freaky Friday and House of Wax...

(actor) – 2008

Jessica Marie Jacobs (Miss NC) – 2008

David Cook

David Cook (singer)

David Roland Cook is an American rock singer-songwriter, who rose to fame after winning the seventh season of the reality television show American Idol...

(singer) – 2009 Festival Performing Artists

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