Azalea Festival announces 76th queen, and she's a Wilmington local

John Staton, Wilmington StarNews
·1 min read

For 2023, the N.C. Azalea Festival is keeping it local.

On Friday, the festival announced Carli Batson, a Wilmington native, Wilmington resident and former Miss North Carolina, as its 76th Queen Azalea.

Batson, a former Miss Wilmington who won Miss North Carolina as Miss Cleveland, a town in Johnston County, represented North Carolina in the 100th Miss America pageant in 2021.

More: Carli BatsonWilmington native Carli Batson wins Miss North Carolina, to compete in Miss America pageant

Carli Batson of Wilmington won the Miss North Carolina pageant on June 27. She'll go on to compete in the Miss America pageant in December.
Carli Batson of Wilmington won the Miss North Carolina pageant on June 27. She'll go on to compete in the Miss America pageant in December.

Batson is a dancer who grew up performing in Wilmington's theater community. A graduate of Appalachian State with a major in Communications and a minor in Theater Arts, her parents are Keith and Lisa Batson of Wilmington.

"Wilmington will always hold such a big place in my heart," Batson told the StarNews in 2021. "The love from the Wilmington community is unlike any other."

Also Friday, the Azalea Festival made other announcements, including the 2023 Azalea Festival Princess, Avery Braithwaite.

Miss North Carolina Carli Batson waves to the crowd as thousands of people came out to take part and watch the 75th Azalea Festival Parade in Wilmington, N.C. Saturday April 9, 2022. [KEN BLEVINS/STARNEWS]
Miss North Carolina Carli Batson waves to the crowd as thousands of people came out to take part and watch the 75th Azalea Festival Parade in Wilmington, N.C. Saturday April 9, 2022. [KEN BLEVINS/STARNEWS]

The festival's "invited guests," sometimes called festival celebrities, are Miss North Carolina Karolyn Martin; longtime Wilmington broadcaster Frances Weller and her twin sister, philanthropist Margaret Weller Stargell; U.S. Army Korean War veteran Harold Davis; United States Navy Admiral Daryl Caudle; Wilmington native and World Series champion (with the Boston Red Sox) Trot Nixon; and the festival artist, Ana Brown.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: N.C. Azalea Festival announces 76th queen, Wilmington's Carli Batson