BY BARBARA PATRICK
PHOTOS BY MAGENTA LORUSSO
Gantt, an administrator of the main reason for the Festival was to Summerville Family YMCA Flow-
Young Women’s Christian Organi- raise money to pay for the YWCO’s ertown Festival, and it attracts more
zation, envisioned a springtime cel- various community projects for lo- than 250,000 people each year.
ebration in Summerville, a festival cal children. Named one of the “Top 20 Events
that would feature floats fashioned The first Flowertown Festival in in the Southeast” by the Southeast
of flowers, an azalea queen and a 1973 was nearly rained out, which Tourism Society, the three-day Fes-
myriad of fun-filled family events. did not dampen the enthusiasm of tival is held each spring in Azalea
Charlsie Vorwerk came on board in the YWCO; the group was deter- Park.
the early days to help plan the event. mined to make it an annual event. Its effect on the town is enormous.
According to Vorwerk, a well-known Thirty-three years later, it’s obvious According to Linda McCoy, special
artist who was appointed art coun- they succeeded in a huge way. events director of the Summerville
sel for the Festival Committee, the Today, the official name is The Family YMCA, the Festival gener-
ILoveSummerville.com | SummervilleNeighborhoods.com | SummervilleBuilders.com 9
8_SND_Flowertown.indd 9 3/20/08 2:21:43 PM
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