y Azalea Belle “career,” while brief, taught me lifelong of my most cherished memories. M
We were rewarded for our hard
work, however, with a festive tea
party during which we enjoyed
wonderful homemade goodies and
fun photo sessions in a pretty place.
Pictures equaled fame and that was
all right with me.
The ribbon cutting took place on a
glorious day in Forest Hills, and my
friend and I were chosen to escort
Queen Azalea herself to cut the rib-bon.
We had become comfortable
in our roles and even began to enjoy
those ridiculous dresses, which were
not a bad tradeoff for all of the atten-tion
we were getting.
The garden tour opened with
the ribbon cutting, and it was hot
that year. We served as ambassadors
in several gardens throughout the
weekend, standing in oppressive heat
for hours. I thanked my lucky stars
for comfortable shoes and my light-colored
cotton dress, which was much
cooler than most. The garden owners
looked out for us with lemonade and
cookies, which convinced us that they
were angels.
We were among the lucky few
chosen to ride in the parade, which,
while thrilling, was even more
exhausting than garden duty. The
constant smiling and waving gave me
newfound respect for career beauty
queens and other celebrities. When
the parade ended, we were off to gar-den
duty for two solid days. It was a
long weekend.
When our stint finally ended, we
were exhausted but happy for the
36
WBM april 2019
experience. We had learned much
about local history. We had tasted the
rigors of antebellum living and how
to handle it with aplomb. We learned
a bit about manners and social graces.
My Azalea Belle “career,” while brief,
taught me lifelong lessons and gave
me some of my most cherished
memories.
The experience brought me closer
to my mom, who went on to chair
the garden tour the following year.
She loved all the pageantry and
beauty, and she loved her friends, so
staying involved was huge for her.
She began sponsoring Azalea Belles
and, one year, she hosted the tea.
Our home on Cedar Island was built
for entertaining. The expansive lawn
fronting the Intracoastal Waterway,
with its wooded areas and large
reflecting pond, proved the perfect
spot. The event had previously rotated
annually, but it found a home with
my parents. Ever the social butterfly,
my mom relished the opportunity.
The house had large covered veran-das,
from which the view of the Belles
gathered on the lawn was stunning.
Even my dad got in on the act. Not
previously known for espousing the
“frilly,” he so enjoyed designing pink
signs and putting pink bows on every-thing
he could get his hands on. The
garden club members, deciding that
he belonged, made him an honorary
member. He proudly held this title
for the remainder of his days.
I was away at school during much
of this time. But, when possible,
COURTESY OF MARY MARGARET McEACHERN
Left, from top: Serving as “cover girl” for Scene Magazine made Mary Margaret feel like a movie
star. Mary Lou McEachern, in one of her many big hats, graces the Star-News’ coverage of a
ribbon-cutting ceremony. Mary Lou McEachern cuts her own ribbon to open the Airlie Gardens
Butterfly House in memory of her husband, Sandy McEachern.
COURTESY OF MARY MARGARET McEACHERN
COURTESY OF STARNEWS