Colorful history: Highlights from 77 years of Wilmington's N.C. Azalea Festival
It's almost time for the 77th annual North Carolina Azalea Festival, which returns to Wilmington April 3-7 for five days of events, including concerts, a street fair, a parade, home and garden tours, a fireworks display, an art show, and much more.
Over the course of three-quarters of a century the festival has built up lots and lots of history. From Azalea queens, celebrity guests and famous performers to all of the other lore surrounding the festival, one could write a book.
Short of a full volume of Azalea-hued history, let's take a look back at one highlight of the festival from each decade of its existence.
Wilmington flashback: The famous faces and memorable moments in Azalea Festival history
1934
The festival didn't technically exist yet, but according to the Azalea Festival itself, its roots (heh heh) "go back to 1934 with Dr. Houston Moore, who had the vision of transforming unkept, swampy Greenfield Lake into a beautiful landscaped park." In 1947, Moore organized a committee "to discuss the feasibility of holding an Azalea Festival that would celebrate the beauty of Greenfield, Orton, Airlie and other gardens around town," according to a letter written by the festival's first president, Hugh Morton.
1948
The first Azalea Festival is held. Inaugural Queen Azalea Jacqueline White is crowned at the Wrightsville Beach's famed Lumina ballroom.
1959
Future President of the United States Ronald Reagan serves as festival "emcee," a position that has faded over the years. The free Azalea Festival Variety Show at Legion Stadium, a tradition that will continue for decades, begins.
1968
New Hanover High School graduate and hometown hero Sonny Jurgensen, quarterback for the Washington Redskins (now Commanders), returns to Wilmington as a special guest of the festival. Golden Globe-winning Argentinian actress Linda Cristal of TV series "The High Chaparral" serves as queen.
1972
Festival guests include two iconic TV actors: Ann B. Davis, aka Alice from "The Brady Bunch," and Demond Wilson, aka Lamont from "Sanford and Son." The musical guests are big names, too: Folk music ensemble The New Christy Minstrels and pop singing actor Pat Boone.
1985
Phylicia Rashad, then known as Phylicia Ayers-Allen, a co-star of TV's "The Cosby Show," is the first Black Azalea Festival queen. Ten years later, Rashad will return to Wilmington to star in the film "When We Were Colored."
1997
Wilmington-born actress Lauren Roman of the soap opera "All My Children" becomes the first "local" queen for the festival's 50th anniversary.
2003
R&B/soul singing legend the Rev. Al Green headlines a concert at Trask Coliseum. Dressed in all white from his bow tie to his shoes and decked out in gold chains and sunglasses, Green opened with his hit "Let's Get Married" and threw red roses to several women in the crowd.
2013
Festival concerts move out of UNCW's Trask Coliseum and into the great outdoors for shows in a sprawling Cape Fear Community College parking lots. Headliners are The Avett Brothers, Southern rock legends Lynyrd Skynyrd and country rappers The LACS and Colt Ford.
2021
Making a tentative return from the pandemic, the festival holds a months-long mix of virtual and in person events. For the first time, the parade is held in August instead of April, and Miss North Carolina 2017 Victoria Huggins, a former "American Idol" performer, serves as queen for an extended reign.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: The history of Wilmington's N.C. Azalea Festival by decade
