Wilmington's Azalea Festival

Every year, Wilmington hosts a five day long festival as a way to kick off spring. This year, we were fortunate to be a part of the celebration! The Azalea Festival is a great way to enjoy this beautiful, historic beach town. It offers a wide variety of events including tours of US Coast Guard ships, seeing the beautiful Azalea Belles (parasols and all), live music from local musicians, street fairs, and--of course--flowers! Because the festival is spread out over a few days, we suggest doing your research to ensure that you will be able to see everything you planned on. We missed out on some of the more exciting options, like the parade and crowning of the 2015 Azalea Queen.  Fortunately, no matter what day you attend, there are plenty of festivities! The bad news is that the festival is over so you'll have to wait a whole year! Go ahead an put it on your calendar for 2016! http://www.ncazaleafestival.org/. 
Check out some of our favorite moments and stay tuned for more posts about downtown Wilmington, a town you definitely need to add to your list of places to visit this summer! 

LOCAL ARTIST SPOTLIGHT!
As we were roaming the festival, we heard a band playing their music and we LOVED what we heard. They have an Americana/Folk sound to their music with just the right amount of rock/blues mixed in. Sean Olds and the Church of the Eternal came together in 2013 and is based between the Outer Banks and Wilmington.

 To listen or learn more click here. You'll be glad you did. Personal favorite songs are  Cold Southern Wind and Straight From Hurt.


As we were talking with the band, the sweetest volunteer at the festival overheard and told us about her own music and we agreed to feature her as well! Penny Pierce wrote a song called "Forever Home" which sheds light on the need for homeless pets to have their own happy ending. She even has a music video in which her own dog, Chuckles, is the main star. Chuckles was given a forever home by Penny, but not all animals are that fortunate. Penny has been contacted by major companies that are interested in using her work, so you shouldn't be surprised if you hear her song on a commercial or movie in the near future. She has a beautiful, soothing tone to her voice that we love. Show this kind woman and her great cause some support by viewing her video here !