DOGWOOD FESTIVAL SAVED BY SURPRISE SUNSHINE

CHARLESTON -- A guest book inside the Mississippi County Historical Society's mansion told the story.

People from California, Texas, Iowa -- even one from Nairobi, Kenya -- paid their dollars and signed their names before touring the home, built in 1889. It was only one attraction for Charleston's 28th Annual Dogwood-Azalea Festival.

Organizers estimated 4,000 people, some on 30 buses, rolled into town for the event. Early forecasts had some wondering if Saturday, the biggest day of the Friday-Sunday event, would be a washout.

Weather always plays a huge role in the festival, held the third weekend of April on most years. If days are too cold, the famous dogwoods and azaleas don't bloom. If they bloom before severe weather, the only sign of flowers may be on the ground and in storm sewers.

This year, Mother Nature's cooperation was apparent.

"We had little-bitty blooms on Friday, and the Garden Club was fretting," Dorothy Schott, Charleston Chamber of Commerce secretary, said. "We just knew that nothing was going to be in bloom."

Then, Friday night, tornadoes hit Butler, Stoddard and Perry Counties, threatening to move into Charleston and destroy the budding plants. Historical Society member Karen Brown said many of her friends stayed awake and dressed until the wee hours Saturday, ready to do emergency clean-up and save the festival, if necessary.

The fussing and fretting was for naught. The sun shone brightly Saturday, and dogwood and azalea blooms burst with color.

"After the cold winter, they were so tight, they just popped open at the first sunshine," Schott said. "Come Wednesday, they will probably be in full bloom."

Rolwing Park, the center of Dogwood-Azalea Festival activities, was full of people Sunday afternoon. Some ran in the Run for Fun, others rode carnival rides and most stopped off for traditional festival food -- lemon shake-ups, snow cones, hot dogs and shish-ka-bob.

Herb Marshall, a former Charleston High School football coach, walked through the crowd hawking Polish sausages for the Lions Club. All proceeds from the booth were earmarked for free sight and hearing care at Methodist Hospital in Memphis.

The Lions sold out of chicken breasts earlier in the day, Marshall said, not uncommon during the festival.

"When we started 28 years ago, we had an old pickup truck and sold food off the tailgate," he said. "There were very few stands and very few people. But it grew and became a very good thing for Charleston."

In addition to the money pumped into the local economy for three days, Charleston benefits from the tourist exposure, Brown, the Historical Society member, said. Some who read about last year's festival in Midwest Living magazine didn't visit until after the event.

When they come at other times of the year, there are Victorian mansions to see.

In addition, Charleston is home to the state champion dogwood. It is 5 feet, 7 inches in circumference and 37 feet tall.