Around Town With Rhonda Bellamy
Around Town with Rhonda Bellamy is a five-minute interview feature that airs on HQR News (91.3fm and 98.9fm) on Fridays at 9:01am and 3:01pm; and Saturdays and Sundays at 7:01am, 1:01pm and 6:01pm. It will also air on Classical HQR (92.7fm, 96.7FM and 102.3fm) on Fridays at 10:01am, 1:01pm and 7:01pm; and Saturdays and Sundays at 5:01am and 11:01am.
Around Town with Rhonda Bellamy welcomes guests from all over the Cape Fear Region to talk about arts, culture, community and more. Those interested in submitting an idea for future consideration should email aroundtown@whqr.org.
Mary Bradley moved to Wilmington from Los Angeles, CA in May 2007 with her husband Frank and twin baby daughters, Maggie and Kate. In California, Mary had been Drive Director, Fringe Benefits Director and Member Clubs Director for public radio station KCRW for ten years. Mary was raised in Rhode Island and graduated from Boston University. Mary recently served as President of the Board of Directors of the Association of Fundraising Professionals Cape Fear Chapter.
The traditional annual event has been postponed this year until July 30.
“But we didn’t want to wait that long to celebrate spring in our area,” said Alison Baringer English, executive director of the festival. “That’s a big part of what the Azalea Festival is about.”
So instead, the Hamerskis and dozens of garden party enthusiasts signed up to host their own smaller gatherings and get dressed in their finest party wear and enjoy the local natural beauty.
That’s what the couple did. They haven’t spent much time entertaining this past year, but Carter did pick up gardening as a pandemic hobby so she was showing guests some of her handiwork and a new garden shed built with the help of her father.
That economic impact has certainly increased in recent years, said Alison Baringer English, executive director of the North Carolina Azalea Festival.
When the study was completed in 2011, organizers were still holding concerts at UNCW s Trask Coliseum and didn t sell concessions. Concerts moved outside in 2013, allowing nearly three times the attendance.
In recent years, the festival has been able to attract more well-known artists and started selling alcohol and concessions, which raise revenue.
It s difficult to tell just how much the Azalea Festival contributes to local tourism because festivals - unlike conventions - have no central booking mechanisms and many of the events don t require tickets, according to Connie Nelson, the communications director at the Wilmington and Beaches Convention and Visitors Bureau.
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