[gentle orchestral fanfare]

♪

[resonant strings
lead building orchestration]

♪

(male narrator)
Welcome to "Our State,"

a production of UNC-TV

in association
with "Our State" magazine--

for over 70 years,

bringing the wonders
of North Carolina

to readers across the state.

On this edition,

a visit to Bat Cave,

home to a lot more
than just bats--

behind
the scenes

at the Azalea
Festival--

and historic
Airlie Gardens,

full of
carefully tended

natural beauty.

♪

[wind gusting]
whhhh

(male announcer)
BB&T serves the needs

of more than 180 communities,

from the Outer Banks
and the Blue Ridge Mountains

to everywhere in between.

Since 1872,

we have supported the people
and places of North Carolina,

and we've been proud
to live and work here too.

We love calling
North Carolina our home,

and we're pleased to provide
major funding for "Our State."

Quality public television
is made possible

through the financial
contributions

of viewers like you,

who invite you to join them
in supporting UNC-TV.

[birds chirping distantly]

(narrator)
Hickory Nut Gorge

is truly a spectacular
place in our state.

Rugged granite cliffs

overlook parts
of the Broad River Watershed,

home of Chimney Rock Park
and Lake Lure.

Cool, shady groves
of hardwoods provide habitat

for many species
of plants and animals,

some found only
a few places in the world.

It's also the home of Bat Cave,

the largest known
fissure cave in North America.

(man)
As you can see,

its quite extensive
fracturing of the rock

has led to the formation of
this very extensive cave system

that offers a variety

of microhabitats within it.

Overall,
in the cave complex here,

we've had six different
species of bats

documented hibernating here.

(narrator)
Bat Cave Preserve
covers 186 acres

and is owned both privately
and by the Nature Conservancy.

(boy)
Now we have four.

(narrator)
While public access is limited

and Bat Cave itself
is not open to the public,

the summer field trip program

operated
by the Nature Conservancy

gives those hikers willing
to tackle the steep slopes

a chance to see
some of the unique sites

in this diverse environment.

(woman)
Does anyone know some
of the uses for jewelweed?

Poison ivy, yes--
another one?

(woman)
Stinging nettle.

Stinging nettle--yeah.

If you tear up the stem,

it has this
aloelike substance

that you can rub on it.

It makes it go away
pretty instantly,

from what
I've experienced.

You have all kinds
of good things to carry.

(McGrath)
There are a number of things

that make
Hickory Nut Gorge unique,

from both a plant
and animal perspective,

and, in particular,
places like we're--

here at Bat Cave,
where we are today.

Its geographic position,

located between the Blue
Ridge Physiographic Province

and the Piedmont Province,

you get a combination
of mountain species

and piedmont species
of both plants and animals

that occur here.

The abundance of rock
here in the gorge

is an important factor

that contributes to
the wide diversity of animals.

(narrator)
The varied terrain
of the preserve,

the unique rock formations,
and the abundant rainfall

combine to form
a number of habitats

for plants and animals.

Here, two rare plants,

the grotto allen root
and the bleeding heart,

are growing side by side.

The rocky streams
provide a haven

for several species
of salamanders,

of interest
to both curious kids

and curious biologists.

For example,
the crevice salamander

is found nowhere else
in the world.

The rare and endangered
green salamander

is also found here.

(McGrath)
Various researchers have looked

at parts of the functioning
of the ecosystem

and the role
that salamanders play in it.

They are primary predators

of some
of the smaller invertebrates

of aquatic systems.

They become prey
for larger organisms.

Because they are so abundant,

they are responsible for cycling
a lot of the nutrients

in a forested ecosystem

and support the entire
upper part of the food chain.

[chuckling]
Maybe.

(man)
Protection of this region

is vital for protection
of these species,

and if you don't protect it,

if you come in here
and you develop

and you remove
the habitat that's here,

you're gonna remove
and eventually destroy

the diversity
and species that are here.

(narrator)
Although summertime
and daylight hours

make it unlikely
they will see a bat,

the cave entrance is always a
fascinating place for visitors.

(Barks)
You can look and see
if you can see any bats

from here or anything else.

(narrator)
For the scientists

who study the bats
and monitor their health,

it's a wintertime trip
to see them.

That's when the bats
seek out the caves

to hibernate until spring.

And it's often quite
an expedition to find them.

[exhaustedly]
I'll catch up.

(narrator)
Bat Cave is part
of a group of fissure caves,

which form when the mountain's
underlying granite structure

cracks and shifts.

(McGrath)
Uh, which is really
just a series

of extensive cracks
within this rock--

uh, offers a lot
of different places

for different species of bats

to find the conditions
that they need.

Your viewers may have
a vision of a cave

as this large
underground passage

that you can walk through

and has rivers
and everything in it--

heh, heh,
heh, heh--

not so much the case
in North Carolina.

There are caves
like that

but generally
in limestone areas,

and we're not
in a limestone area.

This is, uh--
this is granite.

(narrator)
Getting to parts of the cave

can mean squeezing through

what seems to be
an impossibly small opening.

[indistinct talking]

This kind of caving
can be difficult and dangerous,

another reason that the public
is not allowed free access.

(McGrath)
We've left the twilight zone,

where daylight shines in,

and we're into
the dark portion of the cave.

And this is the first room

where we typically
start to see bats.

What we'll do every two years--

One, two, three--

As relatively quickly--

try to pass through
as much of it as we can

and count all
the bats that we see--

One, two, three,
four pipistrelles.

And then leave,
because once we are in here,

our very presence is altering
the microclimate in here.

Our body temperature actually
can increase the air temperature

in the cave and trigger
the physiological processes

that start them waking up
from hibernation.

We try not to wake them up

or disturb them
while we're doing the counts.

In some cases, we have
to actually handle the bat

to determine
what species it is.

(narrator)
On this expedition,

the team encounters the very
rare eastern small-footed bat.

It's an exciting find,
as only a few dozen

are known to exist
in western North Carolina.

And then you can just
hang him back on the wall.

Hmm?

[man chuckling]
hmm, hmm

(McGrath)
Many of the different
species of bats

that we have in North Carolina
look relatively the same.

They have brown fur,
for the most part.

There are some--
some species that are different.

There's a little projection
that comes up inside the ear

that's called the "tragus,"

and if it's really long
and pointed,

then it would
be a northern bat.

If it's rather short,

then it's likely to be
a little brown bat.

So the combination
of the guard hairs on the toes,

the color pattern
of a light ventral fur

and a darker dorsal fur
and a short tragus in the ear

tells me that this is a little
brown bat, Myotis lucifugus.

Can you hear him squeaking?

He's kinda mad.

chk, chk...chk

See, even a little
tiny booger like this--

you know, here's what it looks
like when it's flying around.

So I'm looking
at a 7-, 8-inch wingspan here.

It looks like a much bigger
animal than it really is.

It's much smaller
than your average mouse--

the body on it is.

Is anybody gonna panic
if I just let this go?

It's gonna fly around--
just let it go.

It won't hurt you.

[gentle guitar
leads sustaining strings]

People don't need to react
with too much fear

just because
there are bats in an area

because there
is not any increased risk

or threat associated with just
having bats in the vicinity.

Bats are responsible

for eating millions of tons
of insects every year.

Well, anybody find any other
holes that we need to look in?

And if we didn't have bats,

there would be
a lot more insects.

And some of those
things would, no doubt,

cause us great concern,

whether it's just from the
standpoint of them bothering us

or from the standpoint
of them causing us economic harm

or potentially
even health concerns that arise

from insectborne diseases
or things of that nature.

♪

(narrator)
The work these scientists do

behind the scenes underground...

Shoo.

(narrator)
...and through
summer educational field trips

is creating a valuable addition

to scientific knowledge of bats

and expanding our appreciation

of the remarkable place
known as Bat Cave.

(Barks)
This type of granite
erodes in circles.

And right there,
behind that rock,

is a perfect
circle.

[soft piano
leads pacing violins]

♪

(narrator)
As March gives way to April

in the Cape Fear region
and the sun gets warmer,

an abundance of flowering
plants graces the landscape...

and Wilmington extends
a standing invitation

to visitors from near and far

to enjoy the North Carolina
Azalea Festival.

The festival was the brainchild
of a local physician,

Dr. Houston Moore,
who, as early as 1936,

thought that such an event
would provide refreshing relief

from the bleak Depression years.

Well-known photographer
Hugh Morton

kick-started
Moore's dream in 1947,

and once things got going,

quickly became known
as "Mr. Azalea."

People, like Hugh Morton,

who was consistently
a man interested

in environmental conditions--

uh, Houston probably said,

you've got something here
that's worth showing off,

uh, something
that the public will love.

There's nowhere else in
the world that this can happen,

so why not
let's have a festival?

(narrator)
So, at last,

the longtime dream
of a festival

created around
Wilmington's millions of azaleas

began to bloom

and, over time, grew into
a deeply held local tradition.

♪

The four-day Azalea Festival
is truly a grand affair...

[light applause]

beginning with
a ribbon-cutting ceremony

and a bevy of beautiful
Southern belles--

this day,
on display in Airlie Gardens.

[airy flute joins]

♪

As long as the weather
doesn't interfere,

this event promises
to be gorgeous all around.

And then,
when the sun comes out,

all is suddenly
well with the world.

(man)
Thank you.

Thank you.

♪

(narrator)
The belles line up

with their well-polished
escorts for the day--

from the Citadel.

And then the ribbon is cut
in appropriate queenly style

[local announcer]
Sheee's done it.

[applause]

(narrator)
There is a party on the lawn,

and folks eventually disperse
to enjoy the azaleas

and other springtime finery

of the longstanding
Cape Fear Garden Tour.

(girl)
What is your name?
I'm sorry--

Jessica--
it's nice to meet you.

[wandering piano leads]

Isn't
this wonderful?

This is what
springtime should be.

It's springtime
in Wilmington.

♪

It just brings
Wilmington together,

and we really
have had a good time.

This is what it's all about--
these beautiful azaleas.

They come out
this time of year

and just make this city
come alive.

You see them everywhere.

[airy flute leads]

♪

(narrator)
Not far away,
in Wrightsville Beach,

there's a festive air
on Live Oak Street

at the home of landscape
designer Chris Lindley.

Well, this back
is just charming.

(woman #1)
It's a little studio.

(woman #2)
Gorgeous.

(woman #3)
Those of us who participate in
the Azalea Festival Garden Tour

put a lot of time
and effort into it,

but the reason I do
is because what they do

for our community
is phenomenal.

They give a sense
of community to Wilmington.

(narrator)
During the rest of the year,

the garden club uses
its proceeds from the tour

for community good,

including beautification,
environmental education,

and conservation projects.

♪

I won't put
my toes under.

Okay, good--
hah, hah, hah!

[bird chirping]
chi, chi...chi

(narrator)
Meanwhile, downtown,

street fair vendors
are making their preparations

alongside the Cape Fear.

[pacing violins lead]

And a couple of blocks away...

(woman)
Let's do, like,
the blue like that.

(narrator)
...at least one group
of early birds is getting a jump

on float preparations
for tomorrow's parade.

♪

Early the next morning,
the weather threatens again,

but the possibility of rain
doesn't dampen the enthusiasm.

Welcome to the morning

of the North Carolina
58th Azalea Festival!

(man)
They're not in here.

(narrator)
Plans have been in place
for this event for a long time.

And...
one, two, ready.

[horns blare]

(narrator)
And people are tuning up

for a bit
of last-minute practice...

(woman)
I need another balloon to tie.

(narrator)
...and tending
to last-minute float details.

Which one?

Becky, this one's
got to be moved
this way, right?

[all together]
Yeah!

All right!

(narrator)
There are folks working
on their routines...

[all shouting]
whoooaaa!

(narrator)
...as best they can.

And as the clock ticks
toward starting time,

anticipation and energy

increase among
parade participants.

[small engines revving]
pt, pt...pt

Gentlemen,
start your engines?

pt, pt...pt

Hey, guys,
go up on the hill here.

(narrator)
All this happens, of course,

under the direction
of practiced parade marshals

and their volunteers.

I'm missin' TV3.

(man)
Watch out, guys.

I'm missin', uh,
Great Clips.

[bagpipes playing distantly]

This is a mess.

I got one--
I'm missin' one.

(man)
Like Mark Twain said,

"You don't want
to watch sausage being made,"

or laws being made
in Raleigh.

And you don't want to watch
a parade being put together.

Yeah, we got the--
we got the--

we got the--

It's confusing,
but we all have fun--

just keep smiling.

(narrator)
It's approaching 9 a.m.,

and things
are almost ready to go.

(woman)
Okay, y'all--

you're gonna see a sign
that says "Reviewing Stand."

Make sure you wave
and smile,

and don't give 'em
an armpit shot, okay?

[bagpipes lead upbeat
Scottish folk arrangement]

♪

[engine running]
rrrrnnnn

You ready?

(man)
Ready.

Let's do it.

(narrator)
And now the fun begins!

[sirens blaring]
whhhhaaaaa

wha-uhh, wha-uhh...wha-uhh!

[drum introduction]

♪

[band plays "When the
Saints Go Marching In"]

(narrator)
On they come,

participants of all shapes...

and sizes...

and inclinations.

[girls cheerleading]
Let's go! Let's go!

Hey,
let's go!

[taps clicking]
ck, ck...ck

(man)
Left, right.

♪

Okay, that's fine--
take a left.

tp, tp...tp

(narrator)
And finally...

[playing "Auld Lang Syne"]

many hundreds of people
and some three hours later,

the parade comes to an end.

♪

Oh,
we done early?

(narrator)
And now it's time for the
marshals to catch their breath

and discuss this year's work.

(man)
Oh, the day went super.

This is the first year
I have started the parade.

It went fine.

Every year,
we say we're gonna quit,

but you always end up
comin' back--hah.

(narrator)
Altogether,

it's been another successful
event, by most counts,

including
the final evening's capper...

♪

a brilliant
fireworks presentation,

reflecting in the sky and across
the surface of the Cape Fear

colorful tracings reminiscent
of the lovely blossoms

that frame
each annual Azalea Festival

in so much extraordinary
springtime beauty.

bmm, bmm...bmm

♪

[piano and clarinet
lead gentle orchestration]

♪

(narrator)
It's hard to think about azaleas

or any other flowering plant

during March and April
in Wilmington

without New Hanover County's
Airlie Gardens coming to mind.

Even the very name,
Airlie,

evokes the pleasure
of gentle breezes

coursing through moss-hung
stands of live oak and cedar,

set off by the gloriously
audacious blooms of spring.

Originally a place
of retreat and repose

for some of Wilmington's
leading families,

the pure coastal air
in what was once described

as a "happy, beautiful,
magical place,"

was said, at the time,
to have been a healthful tonic

for the many ails
of city life.

The first recorded
owner of the land

that would become Airlie

was, in fact,
King George II.

In time, a family named Wright
purchased the tract.

By 1886,
it was known as Seaside Park

and was sold
in that year for $1,250

to a wealthy young woman
named Sarah Green Jones.

The tract was renamed Airlie

in honor of her husband's
ancestral Scottish home.

♪

When Pembroke Jones
passed away in 1919,

Sarah married a longtime
family friend, Henry Walters,

and stayed on in her rambling
old mansion at Airlie in season

for the fresh air
of Wrightsville Sound

and for her flowers.

♪

Albert Corbett,

whose family owned Airlie
from 1948 to 1999.

(Corbett)
It was an escape.

It was a place of serenity,

where people could come

and, uh, find
a little peace and quiet

among all the hubbub of a big,
bustling town that was--

was growing with commerce.

It--it was just an escape,
particularly on weekends--

that families could come
and relate to each other

and just experience nature

and, uh, its beauty.

In the early days,

it was mainly
camellias and azaleas

and the lake

and a lot of the, uh,
columns and the pergola,

as you're--

as you're seeing right now.

[piano leads placid melody]

(narrator)
The gardens we see today

grew from lavish plantings
by Sarah Jones,

beginning in about 1901.

Sarah preferred to improve
on nature's perfection,

as it were,

by gently directing nature
toward completion of her vision,

which included a landscape
of glimpses and surprises.

♪

Coming down
the drive toward the house

was said to have been
an enchanting experience,

with a view of the lake here,

a brilliant grouping
of azaleas there.

♪

Hardly a straight line
marred Sarah's garden,

which simply flowed
without seeming contrived.

The large plantings
you're seeing here

are the large Formosa azalea,

which comprise quite a bit
of the plantings,

particularly around the lake.

♪

And you're really seeing
two plants for every one

because of the reflection
along the edge of the lake.

♪

(narrator)
Many of the staff tasked
with keeping Sarah's place up

were descendants of slaves,

people who were loved,
appreciated,

and often admired
by their employers.

During the late 1940s,
Minnie Evans,

a former housekeeper
for the Joneses,

became Airlie's
beloved gatekeeper.

She also became,
about that time,

an astonishingly adept painter,

whose work
is much sought after today.

♪

As a testament
to Minnie's colorful creativity,

local artist
Virginia Wright-Frierson

created this whimsical
"Bottle Chapel,"

in Airlie's Minnie Evans
Sculpture Garden.

♪

In 1948, when the estate was
purchased by the Corbett family

for an astonishing $150,000,

Waddell A.
and Bertha Barefoot Corbett

became the proud new owners

of a huge swath of
priceless botanical wonderland

and a great swath
of a house, too,

that was so big even
professional photographers

were said
to have had a hard time

fitting its image
into their lenses.

There were 33 rooms
and 11 full baths.

By the time
the Corbett's grandchildren

were enjoying Airlie
in the mid-'50s,

the family had dismantled
the old mansion

and built their own home.

And that's where
their grandson Albert,

along with his sisters
and many cousins, congregated.

♪

(Corbett)
It's what I appreciate
most down here

was what it meant
to our family--

and was a gift that, uh,

just almost beyond words
to explain what--

what it really--
what it really meant for us.

It's just indescribable.

And that was a big part
of the reason, uh,

that my grandparents
purchased Airlie,

was to bring
our family together.

And it--
it certainly did that.

♪

We kids, when we would
get down here, uh,

we would all gather

and determine
where we were going, and--

but before I would leave,

I can still remember
my mother saying,

"Now, one place
to stay away from is the lake."

And so where do you think the
first place that we would go?

(narrator)
The Corbett family sold Airlie

to New Hanover County
in January of 1999.

♪

(Corbett)
We, the owners, wanted everyone

to be able
to experience this as we had

and it to be their garden.

The decision was made

that Airlie
should belong to-- to everyone,

should be a place
where they could experience

what I had the--

the pleasure
and good fortune to experience.

And I believe,
and with all my heart,

that it will be that in--
in the years to come.

♪

[bird chirping]
twi, twi....twi

[piano suggests chamber music]

♪

[violins join]

♪

♪

Captioning by Caption Perfect
www.CaptionPerfect.com

(announcer)
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visit the Web
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[crickets chirping]

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