Today's DAR
On Saturday, March 21, I was honored to attend the opening ceremony of the National Cherry Blossom Festival at our very own DAR Constitution Hall! As DAR is one of the Host Sponsors of the 2026 National Cherry Blossom Festival, it was such a pleasure to be in attendance to celebrate DAR’s America 250! Gift to the Nation supporting the Trust for the National Mall’s Cherry Tree Endowment.
A Spectacular Start to the National Cherry Blossom Festival
This meaningful ceremony was filled with performances from Japanese artists like singer Ayaka Hirahara as well as remarks from local and international leaders like DC Mayor Muriel Bowser and Ambassador of Japan Shigeo Yamada. The history of the Cherry Blossoms, and why their presence is so important to our nation’s capital and the country at large, were fully on display throughout this event, as were many moments of friendship between the United States and Japan. It was my honor to meet Ambassador Yamada at the ceremony and share the mission and values of our National Society with him.
Constitution Hall was filled with excited attendees comprising a sold out audience. Watch a local FOX5 report about the lead up to this exciting event here, featuring our DAR cherry blossom banners on the D Street side of our National Headquarters! The Festival will be posting the full ceremony on its YouTube channel in the upcoming weeks for anyone interested in taking in this lovely cultural celebration.
The National Cherry Blossom Festival, comprising of a myriad of events large and small, will be ongoing in Washington, DC through April 12. For any local or visiting DAR members, I encourage you to explore our capital city through this remarkable festival. I am also excited to share that the DAR will be featured on a special America 250 float in the nationally televised National Cherry Blossom Parade on Saturday April 11! Find out more about the parade here.
Interested in learning more about the history of DC’s Cherry Blossoms and the woman who helped bring them to the nation’s capital? Visit the DAR Museum from 5-7pm on Thursday April 23 for an author talk by Diana P. Parsell on her book Eliza Scidmore: The Trailblazing Journalist Behind Washington’s Cherry Trees. Enjoy a curator-led guided tour of the DAR Museum’s new exhibit, Revolution in Their Words, followed by this talk.
