OUR TOWN

Azalea Plant Sale

Spring is in full swing with nature-inspired dinners, classes and festivals, Earth Day celebrations and performing arts shows.

by ADDIE LADNER

Dreamville Music Festival

April 1 & 2 | All day

Dorothea Dix Park will transform into Dreamville again this year, marking the third installment of the celebrated music and cultural festival from producer, rapper and North Carolina native J. Cole. This year’s headliners include Usher, Drake and Cole himself. The lineup includes more than 20 acts from artists like Caribbean-influenced rapper Sean Paul; Nigerian singer, rapper and songwriter Victony; and City Girls, a hip-hop duo from Florida. Last year, Dreamville drew more than 80,000 attendees and generated more than $6 million in revenue for Raleigh and Wake County. Proceeds from the festival will also benefit local youth through Cole’s organization, Dreamville Foundation, as well as the Dix Park Conservancy. From $250; 2105 Umstead Drive; dreamvillefest.com

April 1 - 8 | 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Stop by the NC State Fairgrounds’ Flower and Garden area for the Gardeners of Wake County’s annual Azalea Sale. There, you’ll find hundreds of varieties of the popular flowering bushes, including hard-to-find ones. The proceeds support scholarship grants for North Carolina State University horticulture students. “Our club was founded to spread good gardening practices as well as enhance the beauty of Wake County,” says club president Tom Packer, noting that they’ve been able to raise between $10,000 to $20,000 in past years. “We are especially proud of the financial support we are able to offer NC State students in the Horticultural Sciences program.” One variety in particular — the Wolfpack Red, a traditional azalea developed by a horticulturist at NC State — is particularly popular. Get there early — they often sell out! “We will exhibit about 120 varieties of azaleas, the most in the Triangle, including about 80 varieties of single-blooming classic evergreens, 24 Encore multiblooming varieties, six varieties of Perfecto Mundo multiblooming varieties and 14 varieties of deciduous azaleas, all NCgrown and in a variety of colors and bloom designs,” says Charlie Leverett, who chairs the sale. Free admission & parking; Gate 6 off Youth Center Drive, NC State Fairgrounds, 4285 Trinity Road; gardenersofwakecounty.weebly.com

Carnival Of The Animals

April 1 | 4 p.m.

Paperhand Puppet Intervention will join the North Carolina Symphony to perform French composer CharlesCamille Saint-Saëns’ Carnival of the Animals. Conductor Michelle Di Russo is looking forward to this year’s installment of the tradition. “It’s a beautiful piece and the puppets bring to life the