Garden Gala kicks off Strawberry Festival in style

For the first time in its long history, the Carolina Strawberry Festival kicked off a week early with the Garden Gala, held Saturday, April 27, at the Gardens at Johnson Nursery in Willard.

“The main thing is we want to have an event kind of like the Azalea Festival Garden Party to kick off the festival,” said Kristyn Padgett, who handles advertising and social media for the Strawberry Festival.

Nearly 300 people turned out for the event, which included live entertainment from the Catalinas, food and beverage vendors, and self-guided tours through the lush, picturesque gardens at Johnson Nursery.

“It’s really important to have events like this,” said Johnson Nursery owner David Johnson. “The mission of the Gardens is a nonprofit. We started this to display what we grow, and to improve lives by helping people learn about what grows here.”

In addition to calling attention to the Gardens for people who might have never seen them, Johnson said he also agreed to host the event because it was a great way for the Carolina Strawberry Festival organizers to thank the festival’s sponsors with a fun garden party.

“It’s exciting,” said Annie Johnson, David’s daughter, who also works at Johnson Nursery. “Our grounds are really beautiful, and it’s exciting to display them and have people see the gardens.”

Plein air painters were dotted throughout the gardens during the event, painting scenes that played out in front of their eyes. Painter Patrick Raynor said the artists were from the Wilmington Art Association, which promotes plein air painting throughout Pender, New Hanover and surrounding counties.

Along with the live beach and classic music from the Catalinas, there was also plenty of mingling and hugs, and a garden party atmosphere throughout the event.

The Carolina Strawberry Festival itself will begin on Friday night at 6 p.m. in downtown Wallace, with performances by the North Tower Band, followed by the Band of Oz at 8 p.m., as well as rides from Funtime Amusements and dinosaurs from Ed’s Dinosaurs both days of the festival.

Saturday, the festival kicks off in earnest with a 5K race at 8 a.m., corn hole tournament at 9 a.m., and the opening ceremony at 10 a.m. The day will feature more than 150 food, crafts, and arts vendors lining the streets of downtown Wallace.

The Little Miss Strawberry pageant will be held at 10:30 a.m., with various performances from local dance troupes and musicians throughout the day. Rivermist, at 6 p.m., and the Tams at 8 p.m. will round out the day.

This year’s artwork will be featured on T-shirts and festival posters, and was created by Ashley Yanez, a student at Wallace-Rose Hill High School.

For more on the 2024 Carolina Strawberry Festival, visit the festival’s Facebook page, or http://carolinastrawberryfestival.com.