DOGWOOD-AZALEA FESTIVAL PLANNED APRIL 15 TO 18

CHARLESTON -- The home of Missouri co-champion dogwood trees will blossom with activity, beginning next week during the 31st annual Dogwood-Azalea Festival.

The Charleston Chamber of Commerce will sponsor the festival April 15 through 18 to celebrate the pink and white blooms of dogwood trees and azalea bushes. The town has encouraged plantings of the colorful foliage for more than 50 years, resulting in a 6-mile blooming tour viewed by some 6,000 visitors each spring.

The late Molly French, an avid gardener, is credited with bringing the azalea to Charleston. French loved azaleas and jokingly threatened all of her Hunter Street neighbors to either plant azalea bushes or move elsewhere. Pretty soon, others in town were planting the colorful bushes, and the rest is history.

"We'll start seeing tour buses come in on Monday, which tells you how busy we expect to be next weekend," said Chamber of Commerce president Sophie Dugan. "The Azalea Festival is always well-attended by tourists and by our local people coming to see the arts and crafts, the garden club sale, the Azalea Queen contest, and of course, the dogwoods and azaleas."

Dugan said the major problem in planning a festival around a foliage theme is trying to catch the plants at their peak bloom time. The festival is held the third weekend in April to coincide with the prime blooming time.

Unfortunately, mid-April also is a period when intense weather can develop quickly in the region. Last year, a hard freeze and a string of thunderstorms in early April threatened blooms prior to the festival. Dugan said she expects an excellent showing from dogwoods and azaleas this year.

"I think we're going to hit it right on the blooms," she said. "They're starting to come in right now, and if the weather holds up I think the blooms are going to be perfect."

The theme for this year's event is "Under the Pink and White Canopy, the Blooming Show Goes On." Visitors can expect a colorful circus-like atmosphere, complete with circus entertainers, carnival rides and a petting zoo, said Dugan.

New to the festival this year will be the opening of the historic Russell Hotel for the first time in 10 years. The Russell, once the largest hotel between St. Louis and Memphis, will be the site for an antique show put on by the River Birch Antique Gallery.

Helicopter rides and skydiving shows will also be offered this year.

Festival staple events, including Molly French Club plant sale, quilt show and musical entertainment throughout the weekend, will also be offered. "We've got a number of events planned -- something for everybody," said Dugan. "We're really planning to have a good time."