Up Front

Spring must be the best season in coastal Carolina, especially during April with all the great goings-on of the Azalea Festival and the Cape Fear Garden Club tour.

In 1953, Bess and P.R. Smith’s garden on Forest Hills Drive hosted the ribbon-cutting ceremony on the inaugural garden tour. Bess was the founder of the garden club and the tour. Seventy years and many garden tour events later, including in 2003, the Smith garden is once again the ribbon-cutting garden. It is going to be a very special ribbon-cutting. While not planned, this year’s event will honor Percy Smith Jr.  and the legacy of his family’s wonderful garden under the keen care of Lillian, affectionately known to me as Big Lillian. 

We also have the story of plein air artists painting in this year’s gardens including that of the Smiths. It’s always enjoyable to see a painter capturing nature on canvas. Learn about some of the artists here before you tour.

April is also the month for our annual Kitchens that Cook feature, this year with a focus on Kitchens with a View. These four spectacular kitchens do not disappoint.

North Carolina and New Hanover County coaches and teams have been in the headlines quite a bit in the first quarter of 2023. Here in New Hanover and Pender counties, boys basketball coaches Wells Gulledge and Rodney Orr reached the milestone of 400 career wins in January. A number of Gulledge’s players have gone on to play professionally.  With an 18-year-old athlete in my family about to go to college on a football scholarship dreaming of the pros, I had great interest in reading their stories and I hope you will too.

Along with our Social Seens department, we also have a special story about an annual international and local social scene that provides a prom-like party and pampering to those who may have never had the opportunity to attend such an event. It is always heart-filling and I’m proud to say that one of my favorite people, Katie Hauser, participates every year with a great deal of anticipation and excitement. My hat is doffed to the hundreds of volunteers it takes to create this priceless event.

Don’t miss the Savor food feature and recipe; it could have you digging up a patch of ground to plant your own rows of peas and beans.

As always, I urge you to get outside and enjoy this fabulous weather before we are overrun with people coming to experience it for themselves.

Have a blessed Easter week. To God be the glory.

— Pat Bradford, Senior Editor/Publisher