by Kelly Corbett
Flower Power
beachbites
Celebration Blossoms into Four-day Event
In its sixth year, the Lower Cape Fear Hospice &
LifeCare Center Celebration of Flowers will blos-som
from a one-day event to four days packed with
flower power this month.
Development manager Tracey Kellogg says the excite-ment
surrounding Matthew Robbins, a celebrated event
and interior designer, during the 2012 Festival of Flowers
served as the inspiration. Robbins will be part of each of
the four events offered at this year’s festival, beginning
on Tuesday, February 19, at 7 p.m., with the “Garden Party
Ready” fashion show.
During the show, Robbins will help create flower hair-pieces
and flowers on hats as a prelude to the rash of spring
garden parties, Kellogg says.
A more intimate gathering will take place on Wednesday,
February 20, at 11 a.m., with “A Set Table,” where guests will
work closely with Robbins to design an appropriate center-piece
for the table at which they are seated.
Those who enjoy the traditional Festival of Flowers
can create and take home the arrangements made at the
Wilmington Convention Center on Thursday, February 21,
at 4:30 p.m.
“What’s going to be a little bit different this year is that
Robbins is going to be interviewed on stage by Randy
Aldridge,” Kellogg says. “… He’s going to be interviewing
Matthew about the events he’s planned for celebrities, like
Beyoncé, Tina Fey, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill and the late
Whitney Houston.”
The four-day festival will conclude on Saturday, February
23, with an oyster roast that is expected to draw in a larger
crowd than the 300 people who attended last year’s event.
“Traditionally, the Festival of Flowers has really appealed
to primarily women who are interested in gardening or floral
design so when we had an opportunity to expand the week
with Matthew, we tried to target different demographics,”
Kellogg says.
Individual tickets will be sold for each event, ranging from
$50 to $150. The money raised will go toward Hospice’s
anticipated $500,000 deficit for unreimbursed programs and
services for those who are facing the end of life.
Fiore Fine Flowers will join celebrity event designer Matthew Robbins in presenting hair and hat flower designs at
the “Garden Party Ready” fashion show on February 19, the first day of the Celebration of Flowers event. Pictured hat
arrangement by Fiore Fine Flowers.
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WBM february 2013
PHOTOGRAPHY BY ALLISON POTTER