Corp’s Rodney Collier (right) helps groups load the azaleas at the TV transmitter site in Auburn on Oct 9th.

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On October 9, 2010, CBC held the 25th Annual WRAL Azalea Celebration at the TV towers in Auburn.

The plant distribution stated at 7:30am with many groups arriving early anxious to pick up their plants.  There where a total of 130 different groups from all over the state of North Carolina.  One group drove all the way from Cherokee NC to claim their plants. 

“It was a beautiful sunny day and also an exciting day with this being the 25th year,” said Corporate Property Management Manager Tim Grissom.  “I have been lucky enough to have been here for all 25 years of the Azalea Celebration.”

The plants where loaded by the Property Management staff and volunteers from N.C. Beautiful.

“It is hard to believe it has been 25 year since we started this program,” said Grissom.  “During that time we have distributed over 230,000 azaleas to 3,500 different groups across the state.”

The 2010 A.J. Fletcher Award Winners

1st Place – Buckland Elementary School (Gates, NC)

2nd Place – Mt. Moriah United Methodist Church (Clinton, NC)

3rd Place – Wiley Middle School (Winton-Salem, NC)

Each year the WRAL Azalea Celebration honors three groups for their use and maintenance of the azaleas they’ve been given in three years ago.

The A.J. Fletcher Award winners for 2010 were:

• 1st Place – Buckland Elementary School from Gates, NC
  received 100 more azaleas $500 and an engraved plaque
• 2nd Place – Mt. Moriah United Methodist Church from Clinton, NC
  received 50 more azaleas $250 and an engraved plaque
• 3rd Place – Wiley Middle School from
  Winston-Salem, NC
  received 25 more azaleas $125 and an engraved plaque

WRAL-TV, MIX 101.5 WRAL-FM and ENCORE Azaleas worked with NC Beautiful to sponsor the 24th Annual Azalea Celebration.

CBC begins accepting applications from non-profits for the azaleas each summer and contacts the winners in the early fall.  Distribution & pick-up day takes place each October.

To learn more about the WRAL Gardens, A.J. Fletcher’s history, and see many of the plants blooming during the different seasons of the year, check out the WRAL Gardens website.

Thanks to Corp’s Tim Grissom for these capcom photos.