Charleston has been called by many "The Crown Jewel of Southeast Missouri". Anyone who visits Charleston in springtime will understand why.  Each April the town explodes in jewel like color.  Colors so rich and vibrant that they seem to have come right out of a "Technicolor" movie.   The many magnificent "Victorian" era homes are skirted with dazzling Azaleas and wreathed with graceful Dogwood Blossoms.   Visitors and residents alike will experience a taste of a time when things moved at a little slower pace.  A time when life seemed a little simpler and safer.
	Local legend says that members of the Molly French Garden Club toured Natchez Mississippi in the early-1950s.  It was a fine spring day and they were fascinated by the wonderful colors created by azaleas, plants that at the time were rare in Southeast Missouri.
According to Marilyn Ferrel, a member of the Molly French Garden Club,  "Someone looked around and decided that Charleston was just a little Natchez."
	Through trial and error local gardeners figured out which varieties worked best in the area.  The results of all of this experimentation and effort is a festive spring the likes of which is a marvel to see.
The festival originally began as more of a country fair.  It has grown to be one of the premier festivals in the midwest.
The festival is a 38 year old tradition. It just would not be springtime without it.