WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) – The North Carolina Azalea Festival at Wilmington has officially named Elaine Hendrix as this year\u2019s Queen Azalea.<\/p>\n
Residents and city leaders gathered to watch the tradition unfold. <\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone told me to believe in festival magic, and I certainly woke up this morning and felt just the energy of the community,\u201d said Melissa Lasarsky, Executive Director of the Azalea Festival.<\/p>\n
The festival dates back to 1948.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s such a special feeling that only the festival brings of community pride. That\u2019s what this week is going to showcase,\u201d Lasarsky.<\/p>\n
The town also introduced the Queen Azalea\u2019s Court during the coronation.<\/p>\n
Hendrix attended the Azalea Festival for the first time in 2009. She said Wilmington will always hold a special place in her heart.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is an honor for me,\u201d said Elaine Hendrix.<\/p>\n
Hendrix is best known for her role as Meredith Blake in the movie \u201cThe Parent Trap,\u201d and she most recently appeared as a contestant on the show \u201cDancing with the Stars.\u201d<\/p>\n
But Hendrix says her current role as Queen Azalea is one she takes pride in.<\/p>\n
\u201cI learned what joy can do for people\u2019s lives. And I think that events like the Azalea Festival do that for its citizens. It gives us a chance to come together in such an uplifting way to share with one another,\u201d said Hendrix.<\/p>\n
Hendrix\u2019s focus on representing joy is why Lasarsky said she was chosen for the role.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe fact that this is her second appearance with the festival shows that she enjoyed it enough to want to do it a second time,\u201d said Lasarsky. \u201cBut to hear her today, she wants to represent joy and inspiration in this community that\u2019s just such a heartfelt thing and reflects why she was asked to be Queen Azalea.\u201d<\/p>\n
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