Every year on the last week of April, crowds gather in the small town of Marshfield, Missouri for the Annual Missouri Cherry Blossom Festival. It is an eclectic combination of the history of the U.S. including the largest grouping of presidential descendants and descendants of statesmen or other historic U.S. figures as well as events featuring television and movies stars and other pop culture figures. Sally and Rob Rains, have served as speakers at several of the events and both have been honored with the Ella Dickey Literacy Award.
This year’s festival had to be cancelled along with the many other events in the U.S. that are being cancelled due to COVID-19. Festival organizer Nicholas Inman had the idea of doing an “At-Home” version.
He asked Rob Rains and Sally Tippett Rains to moderate what would have been the Annual “President’s Prayer Breakfast” by doing an inspirational conversation based on Sally’s book, Choose Happy; Find Contentment in any Situation.
To watch the panel which features Dreama Denver, Samii Taylor Yakovetic and Sheryl Godsy talking about their parts in the book and giving inspiration for these tough times, click the video player below:
CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL– AT HOME VERSION SCHEDULE
Saturday, April 25th – Go to this link to see the different topics. You can watch it online. CLICK HERE
These are the suggested times, however there are many “talks” past and present, plus pictures of past festivals on their Facebook page.
For more information on the Cherry Blossom Festival CLICK HEREfor their website.
8 AM: Presidential Prayer Breakfast: “Choose Happy; Finding Contentment In These Trouble Times.” Featuring Sally Tippett Rains Rob Rains, Dreama Denver, Samii Taylor Yakovetic, Nicholas W. Inman, Sheryl Godsy
9:30 AM: Dr. Larry Cook (Presidential Historian) interviews Kim Fuller (niece of President Jimmy Carter) and Executive Director of the Friends of the Jimmy Carter National Historic Site.
10:30 AM: Myra Miller (WW II author and historian) interviews Dorinda Nicholson (Pearl Harbor Child)
11:35 AM: “Working on board the flying White House” panel- moderated by Richard LaMotte.
12:35 PM: Joseph Yakovetic interviews Morgan Brittany (Actress, Dallas).
1:35 PM: “Legends of Television and Screen” panel-moderated by Richard LaMotte. Participants: Kami Cotler (Elizabeth, The Waltons), Alison Arngrim (Nellie Oleson, Little House on the Prairie), Lulu Roman (Hee Haw), Dreama Denver (widow of Bob Denver), Cissy Wellman (The Waltons) and Tammi Bula (Marcia Woolery, The Waltons).
2:35 PM: “FDR and Lucy”- Dr. Larry Cook (Presidential Historian) interviews author, Resa Willis on the 75th anniversary of the death of President Franklin Roosevelt (32nd President of the United States).
3:25 PM: “Presidential Family Forum” panel- moderated by Dr. Larry Cook (Presidential Historian). Participants include: George Cleveland (grandson of President Grover Cleveland), Ulysses Grant Dietz (great, great grandson of President Ulysses Grant), Tom Washington (President George Washington family), Jennifer Harville (great granddaughter of President Calvin Coolidge), Sheridan Harville (great, great granddaughter of President Calvin Coolidge), Shannon Lanier (President Thomas Jefferson family) and Devon Nixon (great nephew of President Richard Nixon).
4:35 PM- “It’s a Wonderful Life” interview with Karolyn Grimes (Zuzu Bailey, It’s a Wonderful Life) and Jeanine Roose (Violet Bick, It’s a Wonderful Life)- conducted by Joseph Yakovetic
