Stop and Smell the Roses

The Museum of the Albemarle will open a banner exhibit on May 21, 2024 celebrating 41 years of the Rose Buddies. Please join us for a reception on May 21, 2024 from 5-7 pm, honoring the Rose Buddies & the Harbor of Hospitality with special guests Elizabeth Hudson, Editor and Rebecca Woltz, Author of article on the Rose Buddies in Our State magazine.

It all started in September 1983 when Fred Fearing and Joe Kramer decided that boaters at Mariners’ Wharf should be welcomed.  Fearing gathered refreshments and Kramer, an avid rose gardener, clipped blossoms from his garden to give to the ladies. This gathering generated such a positive response that Fearing and Kramer decided to welcome every incoming boater with the same gesture.  The Rose Buddies and Elizabeth City, the “Harbor of Hospitality,” were on their way into waterway history. Today, volunteers from Mid-Atlantic Christian University carry on the 41-year tradition by cutting roses for visiting vessels and hosting the gatherings. Be sure to view the golf cart given to the Rose Buddies by Willard Scott of the Today show.