April 2-6, 2025

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A Busy Month for the Azalea Princess

A message from the Azalea Princess McKinley Lanier… “October was great! We started off the month with the first event for the 76th annual Azalea Festival. We had our first look at the 2023 Official Artwork by Ana Brown. The artwork is absolutely beautiful, get your Limited Edition Commemorative Print before they sell out. The […]

The Azalea Spirit at the Hendersonville Apple Festival

A Note from Azalea Festival Princess McKinley Lanier…. “An apple a day keeps the rain away…. Oops that didn’t work! We may have had a cancellation for the Hendersonville Apple Festival parade but my time spent this weekend was so much fun despite the weather!! I was invited to the Gem and Mineral show and […]

Azalea Festival Princess @ NC Poultry Jubilee Festival Pageant

From Azalea Festival Princess McKinley Lanier…….. Camille’s of Wilmington has done it again!!!!! I am so lucky to have them as a sponsor! I needed a last minute dress and they showed up with THIS showstopper! It’s a beautiful Rachel Allen beaded dress;  check out Camille’s of Wilmington for your homecoming, prom or wedding needs.  […]

Festival Princess McKinley Lanier Travels to the Watermelon Festival!

A travel update from Festival Princess, McKinley Lanier… This weekend I had the privilege to travel to Fairbluff N.C. for the Watermelon Festival! It sure was hot but the people of Fairbluff didn’t let that drown out their celebrating!!! The watermelon was amazing and the parade was so fun! Congratulations to the new Watermelon festival […]

4th of July!

Happy Independence Day America! I was so honored to be a part of the N.C. 4th of July Festival held in Southport today to celebrate our freedom!  Thank you to the wonderful Mrs. Jean Lawler for being the best parade chauffeur ever! The crowd today showed me what the 4th of July is all about, […]

North Carolina Blueberry Festival Visit

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to represent the North Carolina Azalea Festival at the NC Blueberry Festival Pageant. I enjoyed being able to share my dance talent duet with the audience and loved watching all the amazing young ladies compete. A huge congratulations to Rileigh Pederson, who served on the Azalea Princess Court […]

April was THE month!!! Best week of my life was spent with the best people for our big 75th year!!! So very thankful for all of the volunteers and committee members who put in months of preparation for our April!! We partied hard and crashed even harder after the princess duties were over, our beautiful […]

A Look Back at the BEST WEEK EVER!

First off let me just say… BEST WEEK EVER!!  Got to kick off the week with the Azalea Sweep! The volunteers, fellow princesses, and I got to give Greenfield Lake a little makeover. Cleaning up our beautiful town of Wilmington is such a simple act of service that gave me so much joy. I also […]

July 4th in Southport

The heat could not hinder the fun of The Fourth of July in Southport!! This was my first parade since The Azalea Festival, and it was full of waving, smiles, pictures, and fried Oreos. It began by meeting up with the wonderful Mrs. Jean Lawler for our lineup in the parade, and she drove me […]

And the 82nd Miss North Carolina is……

And the 82nd Miss North Carolina is……Miss Jacksonville Alexandra Badgett!!!  On June 22nd I attended the final night of the 82nd annual Miss North Carolina pageant, and got to witness Laura Matrazzo pass the crown onto the stunning Alexandra Badgett. The stage was set up so beautifully, and one of my favorite parts was watching […]