Cherry Blossom Princess Meets First Lady, Makes Contacts
By Liz Goldberg
WASHINGTON, April 8 – In the past week, Sarah Gamble has been mistaken for a contestant in the Miss America, Miss USA and Junior Miss pageants.
But Gamble has not worn the pink “Maine” sash during her travels around Washington for a pageant. Instead, the sash signifies Gamble’s participation in this year’s National Cherry Blossom Festival.
After being selected by the Washington-based Maine State Society, the 20-year-old Bethel native took a week off from her sophomore year at the University of Maine in Orono to represent her home state in the festival.
On Friday night, the Cherry Blossom Queen was to be chosen by the spin of a wheel. The queen will act as a U.S. ambassador, traveling to Japan for that country’s own Cherry Blossom Festival. Both festivals are held each year around the time cherry blossom trees bloom. The trees in Washington were a gift from Japan in 1912 to signify friendship between the two countries.
During her time in Washington, Gamble said she and her fellow representatives have visited countless museums and lunched at several embassies.
“I have a new favorite pretty much every evening when I get back to the hotel,” she said. “I’m studying to work in museums, so pretty much every museum has been exciting for me.”
Gamble is majoring in history, with minors in museum education and dance.
The princesses also had their photo taken with First Lady Laura Bush and were given a tour of the White House by the head curator.
“I harassed him with questions the entire way around,” Gamble said Thursday night during her remarks to the Maine State Society at a reception honoring her and Massachusetts princess Jennifer O’Halloran.
Between her fellow princesses – some of whom currently are working in Washington – and the museum trips, Gamble said she has made a number of contacts who will come in handy if she decides to attend graduate school in the area.
But Gamble does not expect to live in the nation’s capital forever.
“I’m a Maine kid,” she said. “I don’t think I could live in a city for the rest of my life.”
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