Officials with the North Carolina Azalea Festival have announced this year’s queen.
Jennifer Wayne, granddaughter of film icon John Wayne, has been named this year’s Azalea Festival queen, according to festival officials.
Along with artists Tayla Lynn (granddaughter of Loretta) and Caroline Cutbirth (a Daniel Boone descendent), they make up Stealing Angels. Aside from her music, she is currently on the Emmy Award winning TV show “The Amazing Race.”
Other celebrities who will attend the festival include:
N.C. Gov. Pat McCrory
N.C. Gov. Pat McCrory will serve as parade marshal for this year’s Azalea Festival Parade. McCrory is the 74th governor of the great state of North Carolina. McCrory threw his hat into the political arena and ran for an at-large city council seat and won. He won two more times, serving as mayor pro tem in the process. In 1995, McCrory was elected mayor of Charlotte and went on to serve a record seven terms.
Col. Joe Kittinger
Col. Joe Kittinger made history in 1960, setting four world records when he jumped to earth from an altitude of 19 miles. With a distinguished U.S. Air Force career, including time as a prisoner of war (POW) during the Vietnam War, he retired as a colonel from the Air Force in 1978 and went on to set two world ballooning records. He currently serves as a Fellow in the Society of Experimental Test Pilots, and as the National Aeronautics Association Elder Statesmen of Aviation. He has won numerous awards in recognition of his daredevil feats, including a place in the National Aviation Hall of Fame.
Emily Maynard
A southern belle at heart, this Morgantown, W. Va., native spent a year traveling across the country. She is best known for her appearances on Monday’s ABC series “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette.”
Chris Corchiani
Chris Corchiani, a Florida native, has enjoyed a successful basketball career, first gaining recognition as a two-time state champion for North Carolina State University playing under legendary coach Jim Valvano, and earning the nickname “Fire and Ice” alongside teammate Rodney Monroe.
He was the first NCAA player to pass 1,000 assists, and after graduation in 1991, he was then drafted by the Orlando Magic, played one season with the Boston Celtics and then went on to play professionally in Europe. Corchiani is currently the CEO of DNJ Gateway Bank Mortgage and is a founding board member of the NCSU State Club.
Benjamin Bourgeois
Born in Ocean City, N.J., Benjamin Bourgeois moved to Wrightsville Beach in 1986, and entered his first surfing contest at six years old. He held the World Junior Champion title in 1995, became the ISA World Amateur Champion in 1996, and began his professional career in 1998.
Arlie Honeycutt
Arlie Honeycutt, a vocal performance major at East Carolina University, joins the festival as Miss North Carolina 2012. Honeycutt has a passion for singing, and has sung in numerous venues, including the Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion at Walnut Creek and Carnegie Hall.
Alexa Allemani
After growing up in Colorado and Milan, Italy, Alexa Allemani travelled to New York to attend Vassar College. Allemani is best known for her role of Allison on AMC’s hit show “Mad Men,” for which she has earned rave reviews and won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Ensemble.
Peyton List
As a young actress, Peyton List was handpicked for the Red Pages’ 2012 U.S. Hot 100 list, which predicts the up-and-coming talent in the world of film, television, music, fashion, sports, literature and politics. Peyton is best known for playing Emma Ross, a bubbly and eager teenager on the hit Disney Channel series “Jessie.”
Win McMurry
Wilmington native Win McMurry is an award-winning on-air host and journalist for NBC Universal’s Golf Channel. As “Special Ops” for Golf Channel since 2010 she travels across the country to report for “Golf Central and Morning Drive.” McMurry anchors “PGA Tour Primetime” Thursday and Friday evenings and reports for the 24-hour network on original programming features and specials.
McMurry is a class of 2001 graduate of New Hanover High School and a former Cape Fear Garden Club Azalea Festival Belle.
