beachbites
Queen Azalea 2011: Heather French Henry
events continue from page 11
Friday, April 8
Azalea Garden Tour Ribbon Cutting
10 a.m. to noon, Greenfield Lake
Amphitheater
Azalea Garden Tour, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Wilmington Art Association Juried
Spring Art Show & Sale
10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Perry Hall,
St. James Episcopal Church
Cole Bros. Circus, 4:30-6:30 p.m.
and 7:30-9:30 p.m., Wilmington
International Airport Grounds
Street Fair, 6-11 p.m., Downtown
Wilmington Riverfront
The Avett Brothers, 8-10:30 p.m.
Trask Coliseum UNCW
Saturday, April 9
Azalea Festival Parade
9 a.m. to noon, Independence Mall to
Downtown Wilmington
Coin Show, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
American Legion Hall
Wilmington Art Association Juried
Spring Art Show & Sale
10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Perry Hall,
St. James Episcopal Church
Azalea Garden Tour, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Shag Contest, 1-6 p.m., Schwartz
Center, Cape Fear Community College
Historic Wilmington Foundation
Home Tour, 1 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Cole Bros. Circus, 1:30 – 3:30 p.m.,
4:30 – 6:30 p.m., and 7:30 – 9:30 p.m.
Wilmington International Airport
Grounds
Street Fair, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Downtown Wilmington Riverfront,
Fireworks 9-9:30 p.m.
Sunday, April 10
Azalea Garden Tour, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Coin Show, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., American
Legion Hall
Azalea Cake Challenge, noon to
4 p.m., Schwartz Center, Cape Fear
Community College
Wilmington Art Association Juried
Spring Art Show & Sale
Noon to 4 p.m., Perry Hall, St. James
Episcopal Church
Historic Wilmington Foundation
Home Tour, 1– 5 p.m.
Cole Bros. Circus, 1:30-3:30 p.m. and
4:30-6:30 p.m. Wilmington International
Airport Grounds
Azalea Festival Tennis Challenge
John McEnroe vs. Todd Martin, 2-4 p.m.
Trask Coliseum UNCW
Street Fair, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Downtown Wilmington Riverfront
Visit www.ncazaleafestival.org for more information.
12
WBM april 2011
Did you know?
Azaleas are beautiful, colorful flowers
that light up gardens from the
river to the sea. But did you know
that the fabulous flower isn’t native to North
America? Azaleas originally grew only in the
dry soils of the Far East and didn’t “emigrate”
to the U.S. until the 1700s.
In fact, the name “azalea” comes from the
Greek word azaleos, which means “dry.”
This is because the azalea grows best in
drier soil and temperate conditions. The root
of the azalea is delicate and won’t tolerate
temperatures that are too hot or too cold.
“Azaleas were far more suited to the type
of soil in China and Japan,” says Al Hight,
director of the Arboretum and New Hanover
County’s Cooperative Extension. “They’ve
adapted to grow naturally in America,
though, and now there are more than 10,000
different azalea plants.”
In China, azaleas are a symbol of temperance
and passion. In North Carolina, they
are a symbol of spring, blooming in the first
few warm weeks of April, bringing a splendorous
end to the cold, damp winter, when
gardens explode with color—pink, orange,
lavender and red.
You don’t have to be a local to love this
exotic, imported flower.
John McEnroe
plays in
the Tennis
Challenge
john Davis