The Cherry Blossom Festival board gathered for a photo op with the “Concert for a Cause” crew, including Lulu Roman, Randy Travis and Rhonda Vincent.
Rhonda Vincent (left) presents Lulu Roman (right) with a birthday cake to celebrate her birthday a bit early. The HeeHaw star will turn 75 on May 6.
Cherry Blossom Festival president Nicholas Inman presents a birthday cake to country music legend, Randy Travis ahead of the “Concert for a Cause” kick-off event at the Marshfield Community Center. Local cake connoisseur Monica Sharp Caudle, of the Little Sugar Shack, prepared both cakes for the celebrities.
Seymour’s Isaac Kenneth hits the stage ahead of the Queen of Bluegrass to sing several country hits for all ages to enjoy.
The 16th Annual Missouri Cherry Blossom Festival kicked off Wednesday, April 21 with a "Concert for a Cause" benefitting the Randy Travis Foundation. Randy and Mary Travis, as well as HeeHaw’s Lulu Roman were in attendance for performances by Bluegrass Queen Rhonda Vincent and the Rage and local performer, Isaac Kenneth.
“I think the friendliness of Marshfield is absolutely incredible. We almost just feel like we belong here,” laughed Mary Travis, wife of one of country music's biggest voices.
“I know we don’t and we’re foreigners but just seeing Lulu and everyone involved this week, sometimes we see them more here than we get to while we’re in Nashville.”
General admission to the show was $25 and gave fans the opportunity to meet Randy, Lulu and Rhonda at a special pre-show birthday party for Randy and Lulu. VIP tickets earned a photo op with the county music stars.
“The proceeds tonight benefit the Randy Travis Foundation… it benefits stroke survivors, aphasia. Getting out of the medical side of things, we're trying to help children with obtaining musical instruments because it seems like now, they’re taking music and arts out of the classroom along with the history,” explained Travis. “So we’re trying to get musical instruments back in the hands of children so that if that’s what their passion is, they can still pursue it.”
“We live at the Lake of the Ozarks, which isn’t very far from here and when we got the call to play a show to benefit the foundation, we said we would love to,” said Herb Sandker, Rhonda Vincent’s husband and manager.
“It’s always a pleasure to be able to play in your home state, and Randy Travis and LuLu Romand are both here… it’s just a great thing. We enjoy it.”
Rhonda Vincent and the Rage performed after Isaac Kenneth and exhibited the reason she’s been dubbed the Queen of Bluegrass. Rhonda was born and raised in Greentop, Missouri about 10 miles north of Kirksville. With a smile on her face, she insisted she would be back to Marshfield for the Cherry Blossom Festival for years to come, hopeful to make the trip every year.
“I love that this is just like a family reunion, there’s a camaraderie of being at the Cherry Blossom Festival. I remember the fist time I got to meet Mary Lou from Gilligans Island and there’s just a wonderful camaraderie no matter what walk of life that you’re from,” added Rhonda.
“No matter what you do, whether you’re an actress, a musician, whatever it may be… I love the fact that everyone comes together, it’s a very loving atmosphere.”
The Travises agreed, noting that they have looked forward to visiting Marshfield again since their first trip to the festival in 2018.
“The people we’re starting to see over and over again, the friends that we’ve made… it’s just so awesome and the thing I love the most about the Cherry Blossom Festival is the historical value,” Mary explained.
“There are so many things that are historical and unfortunately in this day and time, we’re losing history and we’re tearing it down, giving it away and throwing it away and that just breaks my heart because if you don’t know where you came from you don’t know where you’re going," she added. "I love the focus of these events, past presidents, past leaders, movie stars – things we all grew up with that helped form our art. They were the cockles of our soul and now it’s just a good place to get to come back to.”
The star-studded concert kick-off was just the tip of the iceberg with a full schedule of events on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday and a few on Sunday.
Events included the Nostalgia Fest Autograph Show, "Remembering the Ozarks Jubilee" panel, a Presidential Family Forum, and an Evelyn Hampton Garden Club Plant Sale. On Friday and Saturday, a variety of vendors set up on the historic Marshfield Square for festival-goers to enjoy.
“You’ve got people from Iowa, Ohio, the coast, just all over the place here in Marshfield, Missouri,” added Sandker. “As the Mayor will tell you, anytime a dollar comes into Marshfield it turns over 7 times within the community so it’s just a great thing for all of these people to be visiting a community like this.”
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