And the winner is...
Presenting Takoma Park's
Not-Exactly-Annual* Azalea Awards
Saturday, May 13, 1006
Photos: EspEranza Loaiza, Espa's friend, and Terry Seamens
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Click any photo to enlarge. |
"The azalea is the perfect symbol for the people and organizations that make Takoma Park great. Of course, the azalea is rooted in the history of Takoma Park. The azalea has long been a staple of the Eastern Woodlands. And many of the azaleas we see around town were rescued by horticulturalist B.Y Morrison who could not bear to see their beauty wasted when the federal government closed the arboretum during World War II.
The azalea exemplifies the best of Takoma Park because, of course, it is green. And it is also a hardy perennial. You can count on an explosion of color every spring in Takoma Park, just as you can count on the Folk Festival in the spring and Terry Seamens driving residents to the polls on election day.
Beautiful, natural, resilient, producing the oxygen that we breathe: the azalea."
—Eric Bond,
Publisher of the Takoma Voice
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On Saturday, May 13, The Takoma Foundation and Takoma Voice co-hosted
the Azalea Awards Redux. The ceremony, held in the new community
center, recognized leaders in the community. Nominees and winners
were determined in a "people's choice" method, through balloting on
the Takoma Voice website. Four hundred and seventy-seven ballots were
cast in seven categories: Spirit, Youth, Arts, Environment, Business,
Neighborhood, and Volunteer of the Year. Mary Stover, outgoing
president of the Takoma Foundation, and Eric Bond, publisher of the
Takoma Voice acted as masters of ceremony for this red carpet event,
which attracted an exceptionally glamorous crowd.
And the winners were (and still are)...
Spirit: Takoma Park Independence Day Committee(Belle Zeigler accepting)
Youth: Takoma Park Neighborhood Soccer (Sean Tipton accepting)
Youth Leadership Award: Sebastian Johnson
Arts: Takoma Park Folk Festival (Kevin Adler accepting)
Environment: Friends of Sligo Creek (Bruce Sidwell accepting)
Business: Greg Moorin, Summer Delights
Neighborhood Leader: Mary Akers and Bruce Moyer
Volunteer of the Year: Kevin Adler
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Besides public recognition, recipients received an azalea, a Takoma
Foundation tee shirt, and a Takoma Voice mug. |
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Recipients of foundation grants were also recognized:
- Liz Lerman
Dance Exchange
- Lumina Studio Theatre
- Maryland Community Baseball
- Montgomery Blair Band & Orchestra Patrons
- Piney Branch Elementary
PTA
- Piney Branch Elementary School
- Rolling Terrace Elementary PTA
- Takoma Park Folk Festival
- Takoma Park JazzFest
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Special recognition
was given to past grantee: Georgiana Jimenez, Writer/Artist in
Residence Program, Rolling Terrace Elementary |
The event was capped by a humble pie-eating contest (well, tart-eating contest, as it turned out). Local candidates competed in a
preliminary election of sorts. In a photo finish, Hans Reimer,
candidate for County Council District 5, beat Marc Elrich (also
competing for the District 5 seat) by a crumb. |
Click here for more photos from the event.
* The first Azalea Awards were held in 1997. Representatives for the
Takoma Foundation and the Takoma Voice plan to make the awards an annual event.
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