CHARLESTON IN BLOOM; DOGWOOD-AZALEA FESTIVAL PLACES FOCUS ON CITY'S SOUTHERN HERITAGE

CHARLESTON -- The southern flavor of Charleston comes alive each April when thousands of dogwoods and azaleas that line the streets and yards of this Mississippi County community of 5,200 people begin to bloom.

The blossoms blend in well with the many turn-of-the century Victorian style homes that are common in Charleston.

Those homes and the southern flavor of the community date back to the Civil War as a number of skirmishes where held in Mississippi County. Charleston's sympathies rested with the Confederacy. The most famous battle in the county was at Belmont in 1861 where more than 1,000 men lost their lives.

After the war -- as landowners prospered -- a number of fine homes were built in the city, and several are now on the Missouri Historic Register.

Though the city was founded in 1837 on prairie land surrounded on three sides by the Mississippi River, the spring display of dogwoods and azaleas the town has become known for, dates back just over four decades.

In 1952, the Molly French Garden Club, named in honor of one of the city's most avid gardeners, began holding a spring plant sale to promote the planting of dogwoods and azaleas.

Members experimented with plants in their yards to find varieties of azaleas best suited to the area. It was determined that many varieties grow quite well in this area. But the preferred colors in Charleston are red, pink and white.

That first plant sale 42 years ago eventually was expanded to become a spring festival, and this weekend the city is celebrating its 26th annual Dogwood-Azalea Festival and Tour.

The event draws individuals, garden clubs and tour groups from all over the area to see Charleston's outbreak of spring splendor.

Activities at the festival began Friday and will continue through today, though tour groups have been coming by for a week and more will follow even after the festival closes.

"I think the town is beautiful. The dogwoods are coming into bloom and the azaleas are starting to open, depending on where they are located in town," said Dorothy Schott of the Charleston Chamber of Commerce.

One problem with having such a scheduled festival is that in some years when the weather's remained cool, the festival activities are held without the benefit of full blooms. But this year, there are plenty of blooms for visitors to enjoy.

A dozen buses with groups sponsored by Boatmen's Bank in St. Louis were in town Friday and Saturday. Participants in a state convention of garden clubs, held at Cape Girardeau last week, made a visit to Charleston.

Schott says the floral display lasts about two weeks, and she points out that interest in the display and the annual festival has been increasing over the years.

The festival is not only a tradition for people living in Charleston and the surrounding area, but also is becoming a major regional tourism draw.

Schott points out that the dogwood-azalea tour route is easier to follow this year, thanks to the efforts of new City Manager Herb Llewellyn who painted a pink stripe on streets around town to identify the route.

Some of the main activities held this weekend for the festival were a parade, a four-mile Candlelight Walk Saturday night, musical performances, tours of the city's historic homes, tours of museums, an annual quilt and doll show, and a fish fry and ice cream social.

There are still plenty of events planned for today, with most activities focused on Rolwing Park. A martial arts demonstration is planned for 1 p.m., the Charleston High School Jazz Band is scheduled to perform from 1-2 p.m., and the high school's swing choir will perform from 2-2:30 p.m. A "Run for Fun," will start at 2 p.m.

From 1-4 p.m. today, the Quilt and Doll Show continues at the St. Henry School, tours of the Mississippi County Historical Society Home are planned, an art show will continue at the First Baptist Gym on 301 S. Main, and the Warren E. Hearnes Museum at 109 Main Street will be open.

And, of course, the plant sale, which started it all, continues this afternoon on North Main Street. The sale offers a variety of azaleas, bedding plants, stock pot geraniums, selected perennials, hanging baskets and trees -- including dogwoods.

At the Moore family home on North Main, known as "the Locust," the lot includes the Missouri State Champion dogwood tree, which is marked by a plaque. The only larger one is the national champion in Florida.