City of Pickens and Azalea Festival officials pose with Jack Roper and Kimberly Kelly on the set of “Your Carolina.” Pictured, from left, are Jeff Hogan, Pat Mulkey, Roper, Kelly, Pickens mayor David Owens, Russ Gantt and Pickens administrator Katherine Brackett.

PICKENS — Organizers of the Pickens Azalea Festival announced recently that WSPA-TV Channel 7 and WYCW-TV Channel 62 will be the title sponsors for the 2013 event, scheduled to take place April 19-20.
WSPA will be broadcasting live throughout the event, spotlighting Pickens County and the city of Pickens in a huge promotion that will start more than two weeks prior to the festival.

Pickens County’s own Kimberly Kelly and Jack Roper will be featured at the Azalea Festival and will broadcast live at 7 p.m. on Friday evening.
Headlining Friday night’s musical offerings at the festival will be the Tams, with special guest Avery as an opening act. On Saturday night, celebrated country music group Little Texas will take to the Azalea Festival’s main stage.

The partnership with WSPA has been in the works for almost a year, according to event organizers, after Roper brought his magic show to last year’s event and was overwhelmed by the turnout.

Roper took the partnership idea back to the station’s general manager and sales team and promotion staff, and proposed a similar deal to the one the station has with the Blue Ridge BBQ Festival in Tryon, N.C., which has had a great response.

The partnership will put the spotlight on Pickens, and local businesses will have an opportunity to showcase themselves with a chance to be featured in a 3-4 minute televised segment.

For more information, visit www.pickensazaleafestival.org.