This year, 2023, the 54th Carolina Dogwood committee rented the Statesville Woman’s Club for their Saturday events. Carolina Dogwood used the club for the 32 visiting queens to meet and relax before lunch at the Historic Sharpe House, touring Statesville then returning to the club for games and refreshments. Pageant Judges conducted interviews while the visiting queens were touring and lunching. A reception was held at SWC after the crowning of the 54th Carolina Dogwood Queen, Trinity Webb, who was also recipient of the SWC Sallie Southall Cotten scholarship.
The SWC clubhouse set the stage for a Sunday morning breakfast for the newly crowned 2023 as well as visiting 2022 queens. A dwarf Dogwood tree was planted on the grounds of the club in honor of the 2022 outgoing queens. Under Barb Thorson’s leadership, eight members participated in the joint endeavor.
