1. art and entertainment
2. shows and events
3. festival

April 10-14, 2013
North Carolina Azalea Festival
68TH ANNUAL — APRIL 8-12, 2015
PRESENTED BY
Table of Cont
e
nts
Sponsors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Welcome. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6
Officers & Committees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS
PRESENTING SPONSOR
Coin Show . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Patrons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Azalea Princess. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Queen’s Coronation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Street Fair. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
ENCORE AZALEA SPONSORS
The Miller Lite Main Stage-Alan Jackson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
The Miller Lite Main Stage-Nelly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Street Fair Stage. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
MAJOR SPONSORS
In Fond Memory. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Belk Music & Multicultural Stage. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Cape Fear Garden Club Azalea Garden Tour© . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
GLEN DALE EVENT SPONSOR
Celebrities & Special Guests. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32-34
LM Restaurants
Queen’s Court & Escorts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
B E N E FA C T O R S
Queen Azalea LXVIII. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
New Hanover Regional Medical Center •
R.A. Jeffreys • UNC Wilmington
Summerall Guards. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
GABLE EVENT SPONSORS
Cape Fear Garden Club Azalea Belles©. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
BB&T • Wilmington Health
Boxing Event, Azalea Sweep . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
DONORS
Festivals Past 1948-2014. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Blue Cross & Blue Shield of NC • Coastal Carolina
Neonatology/Coastal Children’s Services •
Coca-Cola • Colonial Marketing • Corning • Live
Oak Bank • MassMutual Financial Group • Nangle
Consulting Associates • North Carolina Ports •
ONEHOPE Wine • Pacifica Senior Living •
Parkway of Wilmington • PNC • PPD •
SEPI Engineering & Construction
Past Queens 1948-2014. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46-47
Past Presidents 1948-2014. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50-51
Special Thanks – Law Enforcement. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54-55
Parade Master Map. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
2015 Children’s Art Contest Winners. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
C O M M U N I T Y PA RT N E R S
Festival Artist. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Parade Line Up. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
68th North Carolina Azalea Festival | 3
Cole Bros. Circus of the Stars
celebrates its 129th Edition!
Where: Wilmington International Airport
When:
Thursday, April 9. . . . . . . . . . . . 4:30 & 7:30 pm
Friday, April 10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:30 & 7:30 pm
Saturday, April 11 . . . . . . . 1:30, 4:30 & 7:30 pm
Sunday, April 12 . . . . . . . . 1:30, 4:30 & 7:30 pm
Tickets: Advance tickets on sale at the
Azalea Festival Box Office
5725 Oleander Dr, # B-7
www.Tickets.com or 1-888-332-5200
Circus tickets are only sold through the Festival office through
Wed., April 8th. Starting Thurs., April 9th – all tickets MUST be
purchased at the Circus. Tickets purchased through the Festival
office must be picked up prior to showtime at the Festival office.
Adult General Admission (Sold at Circus) - $21
Child/Senior General Admission (Sold at Circus) - $16
Reserved Adult Tickets - $25
Reserved Child/Senior Tickets - $20
VIP Tickets (All Ages) - $28
Circus Information 800-796-5672
C
C I RCU S
2015
Free Kids Tickets available at Area Merchants or www.freekidstickets.com
4 | 2015 Souvenir Book
Welcom
e
Dear Friends,
The State of North Carolina is proud to welcome you to the beautiful City of Wilmington for the
2015 North Carolina Azalea Festival. This is such a wonderful time of year in our Port City and an ideal
opportunity for visitors to truly enjoy the southern hospitality and natural beauty that make all of North
Carolina a wonderful place to live, work and raise a family.
Azaleas are a favored plant in North Carolina, and our annual Azalea Festival and the crowning of the
Azalea Queen signify that spring is here. A stroll through any of our cities and towns will include azaleas of all
colors gracing homes and businesses throughout the season.
Ann and I are pleased to welcome you to this special community event and we hope that you enjoy the
splendor that is Spring in North Carolina.
Kindest regards,
Pat McCrory
Governor
Welcome to the 68th North Carolina Azalea Festival! On behalf of the more than 1500 volunteers, I want
to welcome you to the city of a million azaleas. The Azalea Festival is our community’s most beloved and
cherished tradition, and I hope you enjoy the time you spend with us this week as we showcase the splendor
that our community has to offer. It takes more than just a village to plan the Azalea Festival each year, and our
1500 volunteers are some of the most dedicated and hard-working people I know. I would like to extend a
personal thank you to each and every person who has given his or her time, talent, and energy to contribute
to this year’s festival.
The North Carolina Azalea Festival would also not be possible without the generous support of our sponsors. The contributions of financial support and resources from more than 300 Patrons, Donors, Benefactors,
Event Sponsors, Community Partners, Major Sponsors and Presenting Sponsor shows the dedication that
extends throughout our community and state to this 68 year old tradition. As our guest, we hope that you
enjoy everything the Festival has planned for you this year. There is truly something for everyone. Whether
you are attending the Queen’s Coronation, Circus, Street Fair, Parade, Boxing Competition, Home & Garden
Tours, Art & Coin Shows, or Concerts, we hope you create memories with your friends and family that
last a lifetime.
It has been my great pleasure to serve as a volunteer and have a small part in the rich history and tradition of the North Carolina Azalea Festival. Having been a Cape Fear Garden Club Azalea Belle, the Azalea
Festival Princess, a Committee Chair, and now President, the Azalea Festival has played a big role in my life.
Each person I have served with I consider family. To Robby, Jean, Justin, Jon and Steve, a heart-felt thank you
to each of you for all the time and energy you have dedicated to this festival. I want to also extend a warm
thank you to our Past Presidents who have lead the way and offered support, encouragement and advice. To
our Executive Director, Alison Baringer, and incredible staff, you are the best in the business. Congratulations
on everything you accomplished. Most of all, a thank you to my husband, Robby, and our children, Burton,
Harris and Drew, who have supported me in this journey. What a pleasure it has been to experience the gift
of giving back together.
Please enjoy everything the 68th North Carolina Azalea Festival has to offer and know that we always
welcome you with open arms!
Yours truly,
Liz Carroll
2015 President, North Carolina Azalea Festival
68th North Carolina Azalea Festival | 5
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6 | 2015 Souvenir Book
Officers & Committ
Liz Carroll
President
Robby Collins
President-Elect
Jean A. Lawler
Vice President
Justin Wolfe
Treasurer
Advertising & Publicity
Sandy Collette, Claire Parker, .Brandy Brinson
Airlie Luncheon
Rick Stinson, Jason Vaughn,
.April Jones
Art Unveiling
Deb Hays, Elizabeth Singletary
Azalea 5K/10K/FunWalk
Annie Anthony
Azalea Festival Children’s Tea
Annie Anthony, Brandia Bradshaw
Azalea Pride
Ingrid Corbi, Cathey Luna
Azalea Transport
Jennifer McCall, Dietrich McCall
Boxing Andre Thompson,
.Kristin McKnight
Cadet Escorts
David & Mary Hazel Small
Cape Fear Garden Club Azalea
.
Garden Tour®
Sandra Kittinger, Kimberly Exum
Cape Fear Garden Club Azalea Garden
.
Tour Ribbon Cutting®
Gayle Ward
Cape Fear Garden Club
.Azalea Belles®
Karen Smith, Linda McCall
Celebrity Reception
Susan Crowell, Leslie Moore
Children’s Art Contest
Stephanie Kraybill,
.Brooklyne Williamson
Circus
Valerie & Skip Watkins
City LiaisonKim Adams
Coin ShowKaren Foster
CommunicationsJim Wrigglesworth
Concerts
Ben Seawell, Lynn Sylvia
Concert Entertainment Hospitality Shelby Moore, Steve Hardison, .Cynthia Holden
Concert Ushers
Eddie Lawler, Peggy Russell
County LiaisonWanda Copley
E.M.S.
Scott Goodyear, Aaron Kasulis
Event Production
Willie Dalrymple, Beck Smith
Fire Safety
Sammy Flowers, Rocky Martin
Governor’s Press Conference
John Russ, Hank Estep
Historic Wilmington Azalea
.
Home Tour
Laura Trivett, George Edwards
Hospital VisitMartha Harlan
Hospitality Suite
Billy Ezzell, Amy Dean
Insurance
Katherine Taylor, Joan Kelly
InvitationsFrances Lamb
Juried Art Show
Janet Sessoms, Brad Carter
Alison Baringer
Executive Director
e es
Jonathan D. Hedge Dr. Stephen Meinhold
Assistant Treasurer
Secretary
Multicultural Stage
Yvonne Pagan, Jeanette Serens
Official Party Meals
Susan Crowell, Leslie Moore
Official Party Private Schedule
Erica Mearns, Deb Hays
Official Party Transportation
Erica Mearns, Deb Hays
Parade Tom Male
Parade BandsJosh Wilkerson
Parade Bleachers
George Lancaster, Bill Miller
Parade Breakfast
Susan Crowell, Leslie Moore
Parade Concessions
Donald G. Tadlock, Jr.
Parade Kings & Queens
Ann Kirby
Parade SpecialtiesRachel Schroeder
Parade Reviewing Stand
Lentz Brewer
Past Presidents’ Party
Adam Keen, Stephanie Lanier
Past President Relations
Lisa Ballantine, Bill Rudisill
Patrons’ Party
Laura Petty, Erin Duncan
Patrons’ Relations
Shelby Moore, Jenna Curry
Photographers John Davis, Edwina Batson
Pre-Festival Party
Sandee Spradley, Brenda Dalrymple
Queen’s Coordinator
Dana Reason Evans
Queen’s Coronation
Denise Szaloky, Jeff Phillips
Queen’s Court
Beth & Greg Bell
SanitationDrew Nettleman
Scholarship Pageant
Kande Collins, Amy Queen
School VisitAllison Horton
Souvenir Book
Shawn Good, Rebecca Philpott
Sponsor Relations (Major Sponsor) Dee McGlone-Webb,
.Mark Johnson,
.Lentz Brewer
Sponsor Relations (Other)
Jennifer Adams, Chris Dean,
.Chris Couch
Street Fair
Kim Whitfield, Donna Robbins,
.
Quana Grant, Steve Henderson,
.
Daniel Smith, Hal Smith,
.Mary Beth Henderson
Summerall Guards
Leslie Yarborough
Traffic
David MacAlpine, Mike Fike,
.
George Perkins, Mike Donelson
Visiting ShipsAustin Aley
Workers’ Party
Dana Reason Evans,
.Susan Nettleman
Youth Activities - AFYC
Sharon G. Evans
Deborah Turnley
Financial and
Operations Manager
Meghan Tadlock
Parade Coordinator
68th North Carolina Azalea Festival | 7
Azalea Festival Coin Show
Lots of dealers looking to buy, sell or trade. If you have a special coin,
medal, gold, silver or paper money that you want to know more about,
or just always wondered how much that coin grandpa gave you is
worth, come out to the coin show, have some fun, and find out!
Azalea Festival Coin Show
Lots of dealers looking to buy, sell or trade. If you have a
special coin, medal, gold, silver or paper money that you
want to know more about, or just always wondered how much
that coin grandpa gave you is worth, come out to the coin
show, have some fun, and find out!
estival Coin Show
buy, sell or trade. If you have a special coin,
er money that you want to know more about,
d how much that coin grandpa gave you is
coin show, have some fun, and find out!
Gold History Corporation will be at the coin show to
demonstrate real techniques used 100 years ago (and still used
gets you a pan of dirt from an
today) in panning for gold. $5
actual NC producing mine and a fantastic history lesson while
Gold History Corporation will be at theyou
coinenjoy
show to
demonstrate
real
a fun
and memorable
experience.
techniques used 100 years ago (and still used today) in panning for gold.
Location
: and
American
Legion, 702 Pine Grove Drive
$5 gets you a pan of dirt from an actual NC producing
mine
a fantastic
New
Location
: Elks Lodge, 5102 Oleander Drive
history lesson while you enjoy a fun and memorable
experience.
Hourly
door
prizes.
donationadmission.
admission.
Hourly door prizes. $1
$1 donation
10 AM
AM- -55PM
PM
Location : American Legion, 702 Pine GroveSaturday
Drive April
Saturday
April 12th
11th 10
Sunday
10 AM
AM- -33PM
PM
SundayApril
April 13th
12th 10
Hourly door prizes. $1 donation admission.
Sponsored by the Lower Cape Fear Coin Club
Saturday April 12th 10 AM - 5 PM
will be at the coin show toSunday
demonstrate
real13th 10 AM - 3 PM
April
ago (and still used today) in panning for gold.
Sponsored by the Lower Cape Fear Coin Club
m an actual NC producing mine
and a fantastic
u enjoy a fun and memorable experience.
can Legion, 702 Pine Grove Drive
rizes. $1 donation admission.
April 12th 10 AM - 5 PM
April 13th 10 AM - 3 PM
by the Lower Cape Fear Coin Club
8 | 2015 Souvenir Book
Patrons
Acupuncture Associates
Adams an Oldcastle Company
Airmax Heating & Cooling
Alliance Credit Union
AlphaGraphics Wilmington
American Harbor
Amy D. Witmer, LLC
Andrew Consulting Engineers
Anthony & Lia Marino
Applied Resource Management, PC
Ashley HomeStore
AssistedCare Home Health
AT & T
Mr. and Mrs. Cameron Atkins
Atlantic Diving & Marine Contractors
Atlantic Neurosurgical & Spine Specialists, PA
Atlantic Packaging
Dr. Richard and Marnie Bahner
Ballantine Company, Inc. - Lisa & Patrick Ballanti
Baugh Consulting
Bayside Electric Supply
BB & T
BB&T - Woodbury
Becker Morgan Group, Inc.
Billy W. Ezzell/N.C. Farm Bureau
Blush Haus of Beaute`
Bob King Automall
Kimberly and Spence Broadhurst
Brunswick Forest
Bug N A Rug Exterminators
Fern Bugg & Dr. Ron Dye
Donna & Dan Cameron
Richard and Kathleen Canizaro
Carolina Cement Company
Cape Fear Engineering
Carolina Dermatology and Skin Cancer Surgery
Carolina Marine Terminal
Carolina Streetscapes
Carter Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine
Cataract Consultants - Dr. Laura Harris
Champion Valves, Inc.
L. McNeil Chesnut Attorney at Law
Citscorp
Civil Works Contracting
Ashley & Steve Coble
Robby & Sabrena Collins
Collins & Collins Law Offices, PLLC
Compass Pointe
Copley Investment Management
Paula & Albert Corbett
Kim Nelson & Tim Costello
Brian & Teresa Cox dba/TA Woods Co.
CTSA
Sandy Cyphers
Don Bullard Insurance
Dubose National Energy Sources
Dynamic Marketing Concepts Inc.
Eastwood Wealth Management
David and Phyllis Eckles
Jessica & Richard Edwards
Element One, Inc.
Enterprise Rent-A-Car
Dr. & Mrs. David A. Esposito
Hank Estep
Scott & Sharon Evans
Mary & Andrew Everhart
Fairway Outdoor Advertising
Ferguson Enterprises
First Bank
John & Lisa Fisher/Laney Real Estate & JL Powell
Fountain Financial Associates
John Franck
Gierie Orthodontics
Hamlet & Associates, PLLC
Hampton Inn (Medical Park)
Hattitudes, Fine Hat Makers
Joe C. Hearne
Jonathan D. Hedge
Wayne & Phyllis Hicks
Lisa Hill
Tim and Amy Howard
Independence Mall
Industrial Machine & Welding, Inc.
Cooper Jackson
JBS Consulting/Brad Sedgwick
Robert & Ann W. Jenkins
Jonathan Calhoun State Farm
David & Nancy Kauffman
Dr. & Mrs. Charles Kays
Robert & Alicia Keith
Jan & Tom Kennedy
Ken and Leah King
Joseph & Sandra Kittinger
Patrick and Cheryl Koballa
Kusek Financial Group
Dr. Michael Kuzma
Lamb Group, LLC
Eddie and Jean Lawler
Legacy Life Agency of Lincoln Heritage Life Insura
Liz Carroll Interiors
Longley Supply Company
Lumina Station
Luna AD
Ross Marino CFP
Duncan and Laura McCabe
McGuireWoods, LLP
Mckim & Creed, Inc.
Cyndi & Ronnie McNeil
David & Carrie Medack
Stephen Meinhold & Jennifer Horan
Melissa Wright Law, PLLC
Dr. & Mrs. Mark Morgan
North State Bank Mortgage
Williams Mullen
Nationwide Sheally Insurance Group
Bryon and Vicky Nazelrod
NNP IV Cape Fear River, LLC
NewBridge Bank
Michael & Ozlem Nichols
David Ollis
OrthoWilmington PA
Osprey Global Solutions
Outdoor Creations Landscaping & Design, Inc.
Park Sterling Bank
Party Suppliers-Michael Davis Jr. & Ashley Robbins
Physicians Forever Young
Planet Logo
Porters Neck Dentistry, Dana B. Shumate DDS PA
PPD
Precision Walls Inc.
Bubba & Barbara Rawl
Honorable Sandra Alice Ray
Patrick Renton
Scott & Constance Reeves
Dr. & Mrs. Ed Ricciardelli
Richardson Orthodontics
Kemp and Peggy Roberts
S & R Packing & Crating
Saffo Contractors, Inc.
Dana & David Silver
Skyler Sample
Smith Moore Leatherwood LLP
South Atlantic Services, Inc.
South State Bank
Southeastern Healthcare - Maurice Horton
Tina R. Stancill
Steve Griffin/Insurance People
Stevens Fine Homes
Jim & Fran Summerlin
SunTrust Bank
Mr. & Mrs. Swain
Denise & Joe Szaloky
The Lanier Property Group
The Oleander Company, Inc.
Thomas Construction Group
David Thompson
Kevin P. Thompson
TowneBank Mortgage
ValuePetSupplies.com, Zachary & Cathryn Piech
W.M. Jordan Company
Ward & Smith, P.A.
Well Care Home Health
Wilmington Gastroenterology
Wilmington GI
Wilmington International Airport (ILM)
Wilmington Pathology Associates
Wilson O. Jewell, DDS
Linda Wilson
Brenda and Richard Wingo
Wolfe Wealth Management
Yadkin Bank
YS Companies, Inc.
Patrons listed are through March 10, 2015
68th North Carolina Azalea Festival | 9
THANK YOU #
for helping us GROW to
2015 Chrysler 200
2015 Dodge Charger
2015 Jeep Cherokee
1
2015 RAM 1500
Proudly CELEBRATING our
th
10
YEAR
of supporting the
North Carolina Azalea Festival
NeuwirthMotors.com
Neuwirth 219 South College Road
Wilmington, NC 28403
10 | 2015 Souvenir Book
S COLLEG
E RD
(888) 602-9067
Azalea P rin
c
e ss
Haleigh Somberg, a junior from E.A. Laney High School, was crowned the
2015 North Carolina Azalea Festival Princess during the 67th Annual North Carolina
Azalea Festival Scholarship Pageant on Saturday, March 14th. The event was held at Kenan
Auditorium on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. Haleigh is
the daughter of Steven Somberg and Linda Somberg. She and her court were selected from
among 24 contestants representing 7 area high schools. The court members include the
following: 1st Runner-Up, from Cape Fear Academy, Raeven Goodman; 2nd Runner-Up,
from E.A. Laney High School, Kendall Paige Moose; 3rd Runner-Up, from Coastal
Christian High School, Valerie Lazaridis; and 4th Runner-Up, from Coastal Christian High
School, Haley Lehn.
Photo by Jack Upton
Haleigh has received numerous awards for academics, as well as athletics. Some of
those include All-Region Team in NCCSA Girls’ Soccer, Academic Excellence Award
and All-Conference Team for Volleyball. Haleigh participates in several clubs such as the
Azalea Festival Youth Committee (where she is Treasurer), Beta Club, Student Council
and Fellowship of Christian Athletes. She is a small group leader at church and helps to
feed the homeless on a regular basis. Haleigh enjoys playing volleyball and spending time
with her family and friends. Later, she hopes to attend the University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill or Duke University to major in Health Sciences or Biology with the hopes of
one day obtaining a degree in medicine and specializing in Anesthesiology.
Haleigh Somberg
Junior girls from area high schools compete for the title based on a private interview
with judges, evening gown competition and on-stage presentation. BB&T and the Azalea
Festival Youth Committee (AFYC) sponsor the North Carolina Azalea Festival Princess.
The Princess is the recipient of the Beverly Anne Jurgensen Scholarship Award, named
after the beloved Past President of the North Carolina Azalea Festival. AFYC conducts
fundraisers year-round to obtain proceeds for the annual event and to present the pageant.
Photo by John Davis
2015 Princess Court
From Left to Right: Valerie Lazaridis, Kendall Paige Moose,
2015 Azalea Princess Haleigh Somberg,
Raeven Goodman, and Haley Lehn
Photo Courtesy of John Davis Photography
68th North Carolina Azalea Festival | 11
Coastal Carolina Neonatology
Coastal Children's Services, PLLC
FREEDOM TO DREAM.
FREEDOM TO BELIEVE.
FREEDOM TO CREATE A MASTERPIECE.
livefearlessnc.com
PROUD TO SUPPORT THE NORTH CAROLINA AZALEA FESTIVAL
An independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. U9913, 3/14
12 | 2015 Souvenir Book
Queen’s Coronation
Wednesday, April 8th
Wilmington Convention Center
Grand Lawn
3:00 pm
FREE Event
This is your chance to meet the Festival Celebrities and
watch as Mallory Hagan is crowned Queen Azalea. Cape
Fear Garden Club Azalea Belles and local dignitaries will
also be recognized.
Be sure to join us after the event in the
convention center lobby for a free meet and greet!
2015 Queen Azalea
Mallory Hagan
Fancy Nancy
Fancy Nancy will be appearing at the North Carolina Azalea Festival in the Children’s Area at the Cotton
Exchange on Saturday April 11th and Sunday April 12th. Join Nancy to celebrate the 10th anniversary
of the Fancy Nancy books! She will be taking pictures, reading stories and signing autographs for all her
many adoring fans.
Fancy Nancy is sponsored by Learning Express as a seller of HarperCollins books. This is her third
appearance for the Azalea Festival, first 2010 as a celebrity guest with Curious George in the Parade and
2014 at the Children’s Tea.
Sid the Science Kid
PBS children’s character Sid the Science Kid will be live and in person at the North Carolina Azalea
Festival Saturday April 11th in the Children’s Area at the Cotton Exchange. Kids can meet and have
their picture taken with their favorite PBS science character while enjoying fun, hands-on activities at
the following NC Science Festival events.
Funding for this Sid the Science Kid event was provided in part by NCircle Entertainment. For more,
please visit www.NCircleEntertainment.com.
68th North Carolina Azalea Festival | 13
Celebrating
YOUR HEALTH
We’re proud to be part of the Wilmington story.
We’ve brought the best of medicine home.
Where your life is, where you live, here.
2015 nHRmc
Thank you for the privilege of caring for you and your family.
www.nhrmc.org
14 | 2015 Souvenir Book
www.nhrmcphysiciangroup.org
Street Fa
i
Welcome to the 2015
r
Street Fair
Friday April 10
5 p.m. - 10 p.m.
Saturday April 11
10 a.m. - 10 p.m.
Sunday April 12
10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Come join over 330 Artist and Food Vendors!
Childrens Meet & Greet at Bailey Park:
Saturday 12 p.m.-3 p.m. – Stop by our special tent and meet Skai Jackson, Fancy Nancy
and Sid the Science Kid and others you may have seen roaming the Street Fair or in the
Parade.
Skai Jackson
Twelve year-old Skai Jackson plays the role of Zuri on the
Disney hit series Jessie. On the big screen she can be seen in
films such as G.I. Joe 2: Retaliation, Arthur, and The Smurfs
Movie. Skai also had a lead role in the Hallmark Hall of Fame
movie, The Watsons Go to Birmingham, and a principal role in
the film, My Dads a Soccer Mom, which can be seen on UpTV.
She also had starring roles in episodes of Royal Pains, Rescue
Me and the Louis CK pilot. Skai excels in voice overs and
has lent her voice to different characters in the Nickelodeon
Series, Dora and Bubble Guppies. Skai has booked numerous
commercials, including her most famous “Band-aid Brand,”
in which her charm and charisma shine through the screen
as she sings the infamous Band-aid song. Skai is a native
New Yorker and when she is not acting she enjoys fashion
designing, Nintendo DS and playing with her friends.
68th North Carolina Azalea Festival | 15
HUNTING FOR A GOOD DEAL?
1190 NC HWY 53 West
BURGAW, NC
(910) 259-5134
Since 1973
16 | 2015 Souvenir Book
Th
th - 7:0
9
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0pm
A lan Jack
s on
Alan Jackson
Thursday April 9th, 7:00 pm
Location: The Miller Lite Main Stage-CFCC 411 North Front Street
Tickets: $49.50
They say that timing’s everything in bluegrass music. If
that’s so, Alan Jackson’s is just right. “I probably started thinking about
the bluegrass album sometime in the mid-‘90s,” the iconic country singer
and songwriter explains. “But O Brother, Where Art Thou? came along,
a couple of other country artists were doing some bluegrass stuff, and I
didn’t want to seem like I was jumping on the bandwagon. Then, when
Alison Krauss and I started working together, we ended up going in a
different direction—it was a very cool album, and I’m proud of it. I think
things happen when they’re supposed to, though, and when I finally got to
it this winter, it just seemed like the right time in my life, in my head—in
everything.” You won’t hear any argument about that from those who
have already heard The Bluegrass Album (ACR/EMI Nashville), which
hits streets on September 24th. While Jackson disclaims any experience
as a bluegrass musician, he’s been listening to it his whole life—beginning
with the first time he saw The Dillards’ on The Andy Griffith Show and
Flatt & Scruggs on The Beverly Hillbillies...through Saturday nights spent
at the side of Daddy Gene, watching pickers on Hee Haw...to a well-worn
vinyl album recorded in the late-’70s by a local group called the Bullsboro
Bluegrass Band from Jackson’s hometown of Newnan, Georgia. And these
days, he says, bluegrass has become preferred listening. “As country
music’s gotten away from its rootsy sound in the last few years, I find
myself listening to more bluegrass. It’s some of the last real music that’s
out there. And I know that there’s more contemporary style bluegrass that
people are playing—it even has drums on it and so forth—but I like the
more traditional style myself.” Jackson knew that, while he’d be writing
most of the The Bluegrass Album’s songs himself—“Some of the chord
progressions and melodies had a little more of what I feel is authentic
bluegrass than what I typically write,” he says, “but it’s not that different
from what I normally do”—he’d need some help in turning the idea of a
bluegrass album into reality. Fortunately, he had no farther to look than
his own band and guitarist Scott Coney. “He can play about anything, but
he’s really a bluegrass nut before he’s a country picker,” Jackson says with a
smile. “So I asked him about it, and I have to give him the credit for lining
these guys up—they’re all very talented and award-winning bluegrass
players and singers in their own world. I could tell, just meeting them in
the studio, they really love the music. And I think it shows in the sound
there. They really care about it.” Together with Adam Wright, who shares
production credits with long-time Jackson producer Keith Stegall, Coney
assembled a group of musicians ideally suited for the project. Long years
of familiarity with one another—banjo man Sammy Shelor (recipient of
the second Steve Martin Award for Excellence in Bluegrass and Banjo) and
singers Ronnie Bowman (winner of multiple International Bluegrass Music
Association Male Vocalist of the Year awards) and Don Rigsby, for instance,
all spent years working together in one of the most acclaimed and
influential bands of the past several decades, the Lonesome River Band—
made it easy for them to come together in the studio for a natural, organic
recording process that involved everyone playing and singing together in a
circle, rather than building tracks one instrument and one voice at a time
in isolation booths. Dobro player Rob Ickes and mandolinist Adam Steffey,
too, have multiple IBMA awards for their instrumental work. Tim Crouch
(fiddle) and Tim Dishman (bass)—both players whom Coney had become
familiar with years ago in the Arkansas-Missouri bluegrass scene—are
well- respected by bluegrass aficionados across the country. No wonder
Jackson gives a shout-out to each and every one in the closing “Blue
Moon Of Kentucky,” or that he hints at touring with them in support
of the release—they’re that good. The result is a collection that flows as
easily as a mountain stream, from peppy up- tempo numbers with plenty
of hot picking to more contemplative songs that reveal Jackson’s affinity
for not just the most obvious elements of the bluegrass sound, but its
more subtle aspects, too. And like the classics that make up the bluegrass
canon, Jackson’s songs encompass bedrock themes of country life—broken
hearts and faithful love, hard work and hard times, mountain living,
restless souls and the promise of reunion beyond the grave. A listener not
deeply familiar with that canon would be hard put to tell Jackson’s eight
originals from the smaller number of classics and “outside” songs scattered
through the project, whether The Dillards’ memorable “There Is A Time,”
Adam Wright’s old-timey “Ain’t Got Trouble Now” or Monroe’s signature
“Blue Moon Of Kentucky.” Indeed, Jackson reflects Monroe’s original
1946 arrangement by keeping the song in waltz time throughout. Jackson
wasn’t afraid to include a bit of artful yet sincere, been-there-done-that
commentary that links the rural life embodied in bluegrass to trends in
today’s country music and reminds us just how deep his real country roots
run. In the end, Jackson says he wanted to make an album that didn’t
disappoint the bluegrass world. “I didn’t want them to think I was just
another country act wanting to make a bluegrass album. I wanted it to be
as true as I knew how to make it—to be something I could be proud of.”
And where the rubber meets the road—with the soulful, genuine, dyed-inthe-wool music of The Bluegrass Album—he’s done exactly that.
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