Volunteering with the North Carolina Azalea Festival was a great experience where I felt that I contributed to the culture of the community by helping to put on one of the biggest and best public events in southeast North Carolina. I made a lot of new connections, had a lot of fun, and even opened a door to a new career.
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- EIN 56-0755213
- info@ncazaleafestival.org
- 910-794-4650
- PO Box 3275 Wilmington NC 28406 USA
- www.ncazaleafestival.org
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Nonprofit Overview
Mission: The mission of the North Carolina Azalea Festival is to be nationally recognized as a showcase for our community’s rich array of artwork, gardens, history, and culture through recreational, educational and family-oriented events. The Festival encourages volunteerism and civic participation as it contributes to the region’s economy and promotes the unique qualities of Wilmington’s river-to-the-sea community.
Geographic areas served: Showcasing the community's culture and arts through events and programming. Over 30 events including a Street Fair, Parade, Garden Tour, Home Tour, Children's Art Contest, Juried Art Show, and Scholarship Pageant.
Programs: The north carolina azalea festival at wilmington, inc. (the "festival") plans, organizes and presents an annual community-based festival for one week each april when the area's azaleas are in full bloom. The festival is designed to educate participants on the artistry, history, culture, and beauty of the wilmington, nc area while promoting community pride, volunteerism, and civic awareness. The festival's events/activities, which include a street fair; parade; garden and historical home tours; art shows; concerts; and various other family-oriented attractions, are attended by 300,000+ people. The following events and activities all take place during the week of the annual festival: 1. A street fair and art exhibition showcasing the work of area artisans, craftsmen and area food vendors. 2. Public staged performances showcasing the talents of area musicians and dancers. This includes two days of multicultural programing which features contemporary and traditional music,dance, and ethnic pageantry highlighting wilmington's cultural diversity. 3. A parade featuring marching bands from area and other north carolina high schools; various youth organizations such as girls scouts and boy scouts, area performing arts organizations, and various civic organizations. 4. Youth sporting events including running and boxing competitions. 5. A children's art contest and exhibition. 6. A scholarship pageant for high school juniors from area schools. Pageant winners receive an academic scholarship and are invited to serve as festival ambassadors. 7. Evening downtown wilmington concerts featuring talent designed to draw members of the greater wilmington area into the downtown area where the majority of festival events and activities occur. 8. Other family and youth oriented activities, such as a fireworks display and area elementary school visits, all designed to bring community awareness to the festival and its mission. Events held in partnership with other non-profit public charities include: 1. A historic home tour which showcases the area's heritage, educating the general public on the historical significance of the wilmington area and the importance of historic preservation. 2. A wilmington area garden tour which showcases the area's beauty. Each year 120 area high school students volunteer and are selected to be "azalea belles". Dressed in antebellum period costumes, the azalea belles serve as hostesses to the gardens featured on the tours and are a visual reminder of the historical customs of "old wilmington". 3. A concert, featuring culturally diverse musicians,to encourage a wide range of demographics to come out and enjoy the festival together. Each year the festival selects a local artist to showcase his or her talent by creating an original piece of artwork to serve as the official artwork for that festival year. The selected piece of art is reprinted as the official azalea festival poster and is used to adorn other merchandise items.