Cherry Blossoml Festival Lacks Connecticut Representative
CHERRY
The Hour
Anthony Rotunno
Boston University Washington News Service
4/5/07
WASHINGTON, April 5 – When the 47 princesses of this year’s National Cherry Blossom Festival gathered in the nation’s capital Sunday to begin their week of luncheons, congressional receptions and meetings with foreign embassy officials, a representative from the Nutmeg State was nowhere to be found.
“We decided maybe this was not the year for a princess,” said Brian Mahar, president of the Connecticut State Society, the organization responsible for selecting the state’s princess. “I don’t think any of our board members were going to be able to put in the time or energy to work with the princess and participate.”
This year, Connecticut is one of 12 states that are not represented among the states, the District of Columbia, U.S. territories and international embassies eligible to participate in the program. But this is not the first year Connecticut has not sponsored a cherry blossom princess. In fact, the last time a Connecticut resident participated in the program was in 2003, according to Suzanne New, the Cherry Blossom Princess chairwoman.
In years when the Connecticut State Society sponsored a participant, however, their princesses were often at the forefront of the festivities. In 2002, Connecticut princess Elizabeth O’Connor, then an aide to Sen. Chris Dodd, was crowned U.S. Cherry Blossom Queen, and in 1999, Connecticut princess Shannon Kula also received the crown. But because of a decline in its membership, Mahar said, the state society decided not to participate in recent years’ festivals.
“We’re in the midst of starting up a membership drive,” he said. “We’re trying to get more people involved, to put together more events for people. For this year, it was a decision the board made that we couldn’t put the effort in that was needed to make it a success.”
There are a number of reasons why a state society might not sponsor a princess, New said, and because New England state societies are typically smaller than those of other states, they probably have a smaller number of applicants to pick from. Inability to pay the program’s entrance fee is another reason some societies choose not to participate, she added.
“We hope for all 50 states,” she added. “If we know that there are interested parties, we put them in touch with the state society, but it doesn’t always work out that way.”
The National Cherry Blossom Festival began in 1935 as a celebration to commemorate the 1912 gift of 3,000 cherry trees to Washington, D.C., from the Mayor of Tokyo. In 1948 the princess program was added to the festival, New said, as “a cultural and educational program for the girls.”
“I do think the princess program is very important,” New said. “To meet people from other states, to meet international people is huge cultural experience. It truly is an opportunity to open the possibilities they have in their future careers.”
The week-long program includes a series of special events for the princesses to attend and culminates with the crowning of the U.S. Cherry Blossom Queen, who is chosen each year by the spin of a wheel. “It’s not a beauty pageant,” New said. “It’s not a contest at all. It’s a week of networking, camaraderie and building lifelong memories.”
After she’s chosen, the queen rides down Constitution Avenue in the final Cherry Blossom Parade the next morning and begins her year-long reign, which includes a good-will trip to Japan, where she attends events as a special guest of the Japanese government.
Although none of the members of the Connecticut State Society’s all-volunteer board could commit to “the action packed” week of events this year, Mahar said, they hope next year will mark the state’s return to the program.
“It is definitely something we’ll consider for next year, especially if someone is interested” in being the princess, he said
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