From the Archives: Cherry Blossoms Then and Now

President Ronald Reagan greets 1983 U.S. Cherry Blossom Queen Lynn Ridgely, at left in picture, and 1984 Japan Cherry Blossom Queen Etsuko Kobayashi at right along with the 1984 Class of Cherry Blossom Princesses in the White House Rose Garden on April 2, 1984.  Parents and officers of the National Conference of State Societies were also invited to greet the president and have pictures taken. Lynn was the Maryland princess in 1983. Former First Lady Nancy Reagan served as Honorary Chair of the Cherry Blossom Festival every spring that she lived at the White House from 1981 through 1988.  To see more pictures from the history of the cherry blossom festival and the princess program, click on the Cherry Blossom Princess Program History photo album in the top right-hand column.