Azalea Banner Project

-The 2010 Azalea Festival Banner Auction will be held at the North Shelter at Honor Heights Park at 6:00 PM on Saturday, May 8th.  There will be a mixer and viewing at 6:00 and the live auction begins at 7:00 PM.  

-Checks, cash or VISA/MC are accepted for the auction.

-For $20 The Friends of Honor Heights Park are providing grilled burgers and drinks. (BIG THANKS to Mahylon's, Atty Brett Smith, and Broadway Liquor for help with food/drinks.) 

Jessica Chang of JCC Photography will be taking pictures at the Saturday, May 8 Azalea Banner Auction in Honor Heights Park.  Get your photo made with your banner, or with friends and family!  Or just a candid party pic.  Photos will be available for viewing at the website above on May 15. 

The Muskogee Area Arts Council is a longtime supporter of the Azalea Banner Project.  Seed money from the Azalea Banner Project was used to help fund MAAC during its early days and it's a great partnership.  Maac is helping promote the project and the auction by giving us web, e-mail, and mailing list support.  Got to MAAC's website to see all their programs.  Thanks MAAC!!!

It was the springtime of 1991.  The Muskogee Parks and Recreation Department was starting up its annual Azalea Festival.  They wanted banners going up Honor Heights Drive leading into Honor Heights Park which is home to annual festival.  But, there was no money for promotions. 

The special projects coordinator, Joel Everett, met with artist/interior designer Lisanne Garrett and between Everett, Garrett, and Amy Love they came up with the idea for the Azalea Festival Banner Project.  The project started with 30 canvas banners that year and by auctioning them at the end of the festival the money for the project was made back.  

In it's 20th year, the 2010 Azalea Festival Banner Project has 101 banners  displayed on streetlight poles leading from Honor Heights Park to downtown Muskogee. 

The banners are hung at the first of April every year and they are up a month during the Azalea Festival. 

An Azalea Festival Banner Auction is held in early May to sell the banners to the highest bidders, a fundraiser for the Muskogee Parks and Recreation Department.   

This year's auction will be held Saturday, May 8, 2010 at Honor Heights Park.