A Hidden Gem in the Ozarks

Marshfield, Missouri, is a little town, about 30 miles northeast of Springfield, tucked into the Ozark plateau. Its gently rolling hills and rural nature remind me of the lower Piedmont region of North Carolina, the state I call home. But just as the Missouri hills offer a variety of geological riches, including quartz and the agriculturally important limestone, Marshfield likewise offers gifts to those who love history and enjoy the company of like-minded aficionados.

I discovered this semi-hidden treasure last week, when I responded to an invitation to accept the Ella Dickey Literacy Award at the Marshfield Cherry Blossom Festival. I will confess an initial skepticism when I received an e-mail from one Nicholas Inman, telling me that I had been chosen for such an honor. My biography of the nation's youngest first lady, Frances Folsom Cleveland, titled "Frank" (for the name she used in childhood and with family), has enjoyed, shall we say, modest sales - although my publisher has kindly characterized the numbers as "not too shabby." But even though I wasn't wholly convinced by the information I had uncovered via some Internet sleuthing, I had a sixth sense that this festival was legitimate and that it was a trip that I should make.

The easiest way to try to describe the Cherry Blossom Festival to a neophyte is to say that it brings together the descendants of the nation's presidential families, but the reality of the event actually defies description. The festival is one part history, one part book festival, one part religious revival, one part racial healing, and one part show business. It is a homo sapien version of a banana split, a concoction of seemingly unrelated flavors that, when enjoyed together, provides an overwhelmingly pleasant taste sensation greater than eating each individual ingredient alone.

Several of the events center around the uniqueness of having so many presidential descendants together in one room, ranging from a descendant of Washington's family to a cousin of Bill Clinton's. The addition of a few authors, history devotees, impassioned advocates for racial healing, actors from yesteryear's family-oriented television programming, war heroes and well-known politicians, topped with a significant dollop of committed local residents demonstrates that, at her best, American can still be a successful melting pot society.

I had the singular pleasure of sitting next to the eldest grandson of Eleanor and Franklin Roosevelt during dinner one evening and engaging in a stimulating conversation that ranged from the current economic conditions to the occasional enjoyment of a cigarette. Clinton's cousin had recently met people that I have known for several years through my work. Harry Truman's nephew responded enthusiastically when I mentioned why my mother had considered Truman to be a great and courageous president. I shared knowledge of the Confederacy with a descendant of Jefferson Davis, who is also related to the Rutherford B. Hayes family. Speaking of Jefferson, descendants of the Tom & Martha and Tom & Sally sides were both present, and they bear an uncanny resemblance to one another, as well as to their distant ancestor, Thomas Jefferson. And I was finally able to meet, in person, the Cleveland grandson with whom I have exchanged several delightful and fun-to-read e-mails.

Remarkable is too bland a word to describe the Cherry Blossom Committee that organizes and executes this event. People open their homes to the invited attendees, transport them to and from the airport, take guests who speak to nearby colleges and schools to their venues, and make sure that it all happens seamlessly. Everything is done with warmth, genuine hospitality, and smiles. The food, too, is excellent. (I would list the first names of everyone who helped to make our stay so fabulous, but I am afraid I will forget a name!)

This is an annual event that takes place at the end of April. I've already marked my calendar, and God willing, I will be back next year.