A Living Monument to Friendship
DAR Celebrates the National Cherry Blossom Festival
By Fiona Broadie
Continental Hall in full regalia for the 2026 Cherry Blossom Festival. Photo by NSDAR
Beneath clouds of raining pink blossoms, thousands upon thousands of visitors flocked to the nation’s capital this spring to celebrate one of the country’s most vibrant traditions. From the National Mall to Constitution Avenue, the city came alive with the culture, color, and celebration of the National Cherry Blossom Festival.
From hosting the festival’s opening ceremony to participating in the parade, the Daughters of the American Revolution came together to honor and participate in the festivities.
DAR’s grand Constitution Hall was the setting for the March 21 opening ceremony. The hall is the largest of its kind in Washington, D.C., with seating for over 3,000 people, making it an epic space for a celebration of this scale.
“We were thrilled to host it,” said President General Ginnie Sebastian Storage, adding that the festival allowed DAR to connect with the public in a way the National Society had not before.
DAR participated in the National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade with a patriotic float. Storage and Honorary President General Pamela Edwards Rouse Wright were among those who floated down Constitution Avenue April 11. Members in pink-and-white outfits walked alongside the float in support.
The DAR float was decorated with a model of the Washington Monument and depictions of several iconic national buildings. The float’s sides were adorned with cherry blossom motifs, symbolizing beauty and friendship, and American flags, symbolizing patriotism.
Broadway singer and recording artist Anastacia McCleskey lifted spirits with song. The float stopped a couple times en route so she could perform, once being televised.
The festival offered a unique opportunity for the public to joyfully connect with the DAR, especially those previously unfamiliar with the National Society. Members could wave at the audience and make new connections throughout the parade.
Meredith Jackson, a member of the Emily Nelson Chapter, Washington, D.C., said the parade gave her a great opportunity to spend time with friends and spread the word about DAR.
“It was an incredible experience to see so many groups of people — local, national, and international organizations — come together to support the Cherry Blossom Festival at the parade,” Jackson said. “For the DAR to be a part of the festival means the world to me as a DAR member and D.C. resident.”
Kelly Keegan, also a member of the Emily Nelson Chapter, participated as a walker in the parade.
“I thought, what an opportunity to participate in a parade, to support DAR, to spread joy,” she said. "I love cherry blossoms. I love spring in D.C. I love living here."
D.C.’s cherry blossoms are more than just beautiful. They are also a symbol of friendship between two nations. The contemporary festival remembers the original gift of 3,000 cherry trees from Japan to the United States in 1912. Today, Japanese art and performances throughout the festival celebrate the enduring tie between our cultures.
The contemporary festival remembers the original gift of 3,000 cherry trees from Japan to the United States in 1912. Today, Japanese art and performances throughout the festival celebrate the enduring tie between our cultures.
Singer Ayaka Hirahara was among the opening ceremony's performers. Photo courtesy of NSDAR
The history of D.C.’s cherry blossoms is a perfect allegory for the female power and teamwork exemplified by the DAR. It was through the great efforts and campaigning of journalist, scientist, and world traveler Eliza Scidmore that the blossoms came to our nation’s capital.
“Eliza really launched this one-woman campaign for two decades to try to get these Japanese cherry blossoms to the city,” said Rebecca Grawl, D.C. tour guide and national chair of DAR Tours and Events.
At the time, the city’s landscape looked different and far less appealing. Much of the area surrounding the Potomac River and Tidal Basin was muddy and undeveloped, only recently artificially filled with sediment to convert marsh into usable land. Beauty was desperately needed.
Scidmore, whose brother was a U.S. diplomat, traveled extensively in Japan and was enthralled by the beauty of the cherry trees, but her visions of bringing them home would not come to fruition until she found a powerful teammate.
“It wasn’t until we had first lady Helen Taft in the White House that Eliza really had a partner in this endeavor,” Grawl said.
With the first lady’s support, the plan moved quickly. However, DAR member and plant pathologist Flora Patterson found that the first shipment of trees from Japan in 1910 was infested. Intervention was essential to keep domestic nature healthy.
Two years later, a new shipment of trees from Japan led to the first trees being planted in West Potomac Park, adjacent to the National Mall. It was through the efforts of incredible women that the cherry blossoms are with us today, attracting over a million visitors to the capital every year.
“It was those two ladies [Scidmore and Taft] who really made it happen,” said Janet McFarland, National Vice Chair for the America 250! Committee. “The cherry blossoms are a living monument to friendship that comes alive every spring.”
The planting of the trees was only the beginning. In the decades that followed, the trees were not safe from the threat of removal. In 1938, plans for the Thomas Jefferson Memorial outlined "approximately 600 trees of various kinds" to be cut down to make way for construction. Once again, women stepped up.
DC Mayor Muriel Bowser and Ambassador of Japan Shigeo Yamada and D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser open the 2026 National Cherry Blossom Festival on March 21 at DAR Constitution Hall. Photo courtesy of NSDAR
A sold-out Constitution Hall enjoyed this tremendous kickoff to the National Cherry Blossom Festival. Photo courtesy of NSDAR
2026 National Cherry Blossom Festival parade Photo courtesy of NSDAR
President General Ginnie Sebastian Storage gives an interview during the National Cherry Blossom Festival parade. Photo courtesy of NSDAR
President General Ginnie Sebastian Storage and Japanese Ambassador Shigeo Yamada Photo courtesy of NSDAR
DAR members rode on an America 250! float during the National Cherry Blossom Festival parade. Photo courtesy of NSDAR
Eleanor "Cissy" Patterson and more than dozens of D.C. society women marched, protested, and even chained themselves to the trees in protest. In response, President Roosevelt ultimately planted more trees around the memorial.
The storied history of the trees adds a layer of dimension to their beauty. It is no wonder that tourists from around the world are drawn to see them. When spring arrives, D.C. is a magnet for visitors.
“Cherry blossom season in D.C. is my favorite season,” Jackson said. “The cherry blossoms give the city a great pop of color and show what is possible when people work together.”
Grawl, who has worked as a tour guide in D.C. since 2012, gets to interact with these visitors firsthand. For many visitors, seeing the blossoms in person is an important milestone.
“I get to see every year the joy that these trees bring visitors of all ages, of all backgrounds,” she said. “I feel very strongly that these trees are for everyone. They’re for the enjoyment of all and preserving them for future generations is really important. It’s a beautiful experience to be among those trees in our nation’s capital. And I know that every person who gets to experience that walks away with a new appreciation for nature and a new appreciation for our country.”
DAR’s participation in the National Cherry Blossom Festival this spring also showcases the President General’s Project, Our Legacy in Bloom, through support of the Cherry Tree Endowment.
Storage has a personal connection with the trees as they illustrate a sense of home, foundation, and longevity.
“Honestly, I relate to [the trees], because I have been in the Daughters of the American Revolution for 42 years, since I was 18 years old,” she said. “DAR is so important to me, and because our organization was founded in Washington, D.C., the trees hold special meaning as well.”
The trees resonate with her because they are rooted in the same city where DAR began, Storage said.
DAR’s donation of $2 million to The Trust for the National Mall will help preserve the cherry trees’ lasting beauty throughout the capital.
“The DAR gift displays another way the organization not only gives back to the local community, but also [works] to preserve the United States’ history during its pivotal 250th birthday," Jackson said. “The cherry blossoms are an iconic part of D.C., and it’s exciting that DAR is ensuring these trees will be maintained for generations to come.”
Rainey Sewall, member of the Black Beaver Chapter and the 2014 United States Cherry Blossom Queen, said, “I think [the endowment] is a great project because it's probably one of the most iconic sights on the Mall and it is really important to keep them going."
“They are a monument too, on the Mall, but they're living creatures,” she added.
McFarland, who has been involved in DAR for over 35 years, said that preserving the cherry trees is a fitting mission for the DAR.
“What’s so exciting about Mrs. Storage’s project for the cherry blossoms is that it is a celebration of friendship, and truly, what is DAR about? It’s about women uniting in historic preservation, education, and patriotism, but most of all, friendship.”
Each spring, the cherry blossoms remind us that with care and dedication, beauty can flourish and be celebrated again and again. The festival itself serves as a reminder that our history is not only preserved in solid, structural monuments and buildings but also through living traditions that unite us and the living things that rely on our efforts to bloom year after year. P
President General's Project: Our Legacy in Bloom Preserving a Living Monument Around the Capital
In partnership with the Trust for the National Mall, the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution is gifting $2 million to the nation in order to preserve the cherry trees as a living monument around the capital and ensure their continued blossoming for generations to come.
With this gift, the National Society is contributing to the Trust’s ongoing Our Monumental Moment campaign, which will focus on legacy restoration projects, civic learning opportunities, and volunteer programming.
In anticipation of America’s 250th anniversary, DAR is the Legacy Leader of the Trust for the National Mall’s Cherry Tree Endowment with this significant donation.
The funding will support the National Park Service (NPS) in maintaining and restoring the cherry trees. The efforts of NPS are essential to keeping the National Mall, our nation’s “front yard,” looking beautiful and iconic.
President General Ginnie Sebastian Storage, who first introduced the gift at the 134th Continental Congress, emphasized the meaning of home and foundation.
"The buildings that we have, right across the street from the White House, are literally footsteps from the Mall,” Storage said. “You can see so many of those cherry blossoms when they bloom right across the street at the Washington Monument ... it's just really exciting that we can continue to give back to the city in which we were founded in such a meaningful way. We just want to make sure that they come back for years to come, because Washington, D.C., is also our home and will continue to be our home for years to come.”
A DAR Member and Cherry Blossom Royalty Meet Rainey Sewall, 2014 Cherry Blosoom Queen
Sewell poses at the Washington D.C. Cherry Blossom parade with the 2014 Japan Cherry Blossom Queen, Chihiro Konishi. Photo courtesy of Rainey Sewall
The Japan and United States Cherry Blossom Queens plant a symbolic cherry tree in Kanazawa, Japan. Photo courtesy of Rainey Sewall
The Cherry Blossom Princess program is a longstanding tradition that was originally intended to rebuild relations between the U.S. and Japan after World War II. Since 1948, the program has tied the two nations in a celebration of culture and appreciation of diplomacy.
Each year, one Cherry Blossom Princess is selected from each state’s or territory’s applicant pool, making 55 in total. On the eve of the Cherry Blossom Festival, a Cherry Blossom Queen is chosen from a spin of a giant pink wheel. The queen visits Japan, hosted by the Japan Sakura Foundation, and meets the Japanese prime minister and local dignitaries. The trip is a celebration of friendship between the two nations.
Rainey Sewall, member of the Black Beaver Chapter, Norman, Oklahoma, was the 2014 United States Cherry Blossom Queen. Her dream of moving to D.C. after college turned out bigger than expected.
“All I wanted was to see the cherry blossoms,” she said. “And then I became the Cherry Blossom Queen that same year and got like a major dose."
Of her incumbent trip to Japan, Sewall said: "I had just turned 23. I was a young Capitol Hill staffer. It was kind of scary but really exciting. I got to meet with Shinzo Abe, the prime minister, and then Caroline Kennedy, our ambassador at the time, which was honestly probably my favorite part."
Sewall expressed her admiration and appreciation for the program, citing the successes of its alumni.
"It's a good developmental program for young women,” she said. “Senators Murkowski and Capito were both princesses when they were younger, and now they're senators.”
For Sewall, the cherry blossoms have a personal significance. Their enduring presence resonates deeply with her.
"For even someone growing up in the early 1960s’ White House, the cherry blossoms were part of their life, just as much as a 23‑year‑old staffer from Oklahoma,” she reflected. "They keep blooming, you know — they always show up.”
JULY/AUGUST 2026
