
A Marshfield, Mo cherry blossom festival is set to kick off, but the event's importance stretches outside the state.
Nicholas Inman started the event, and he appeared on KHOZ's "Around The Table" Thursday to talk about it. It will officially start on April 24, but there's a free concert on April 23. As it has entered year 20, Inman reflected on how it got started.
After graduating high school, Inman lived in District of Columbia for a period of time. At some point, homesickness hit.
So, he decided to return to Marshfield. There was one thing he couldn't leave behind. He missed the cherry blossom trees.
That enjoyment of the trees pushed him to plant those trees in the city. The festival founder said that's what caused him to launch the event. It celebrates the trees and history.
The festival spotlights history as much as cherry blossoms. "It's like you put history in a blender, and it blows up for three days," Inman said. He explained that the festival aims to preserve national, state and local history.
Part of that is what has drawn descendants of some presidents to the annual event. Additional information about the festival is online or by phone at 417-860-4996. More was discussed on the broadcast.
The full interview with Inman is on the "Around The Table" Facebook Page.