Diana Mayhew – President, National Cherry Blossom Festival

Our Town with host Andy Ockershausen - Homegrown History

Diana Mayhew on the National Cherry Blossom Festival ~ ". . .the festival's first and foremost the Washington D.C. springtime celebration that makes Washington the destination to come in Spring, but we always remember the roots and we celebrate the culture of Japan, because that's where it all started." Diana Mayhew - President, National Cherry Blossom Festival A Ockershausen: This is Andy Ockershausen and this is Our Town. I have the distinct, wonderful pleasure to talk to an old friend. This is not only the busiest time of the year, but inviting her into the studio right now is like kidnapping Santa Clause at Christmas Eve, but she's here with us for Our Town. Over the past 20 years, she's grown the Cherry Blossom Festival into an internationally recognized extravaganza, generating over 100 million dollars for Our Town. She's usually wearing pink in honor of her role as one of the most important people in the city of the Spring. Please welcome Diana Mayhew, Director of Events at Downtown BID, and President of the National Cherry Blossom Festival. Diana, welcome to Our Town. Diana Mayhew: Hi, thank you, nice to see you again. A Ockershausen: We go back a long way, long before there were cherry blossoms, there was you. All of the things you have done ... one of the things you are probably too young to know or to remember, but WMAL and WMAL TV, we were involved in the Cherry Blossom Festival up to our necks. A couple of the young people here were just asking me stories about what did we do, and I said, "Well, we used boats then. We televised the parade on Channel 7. We did a lot in radio and our talent was always involved, Harden and Weaver, and Bill Mayhugh, Tom Gauger. We did shows with the Cherry Blossom Festival." But you have put the Cherry Blossom Festival at a new level, Diane. I know that because I've lived through it with you. Diana Mayhew: Oh, thank you. A Ockershausen: How's it been? It's just been such a great experience to know all about what has happened, where they came from, how they started. I mean, the cherry blossom story, I think, is fabulous. How Diana Mayhew Came to Lead National Cherry Blossom Festival Diana Mayhew: My background is hospitality industry here in Washington. A Ockershausen: This is your home town, correct? Diana Mayhew: Yes, I love- A Ockershausen: It's your hometown. Diana Mayhew: I love Washington D.C., I love showcasing it and just really this National Cherry Blossom Festival had the opportunity many years ago when it was run all by volunteers, just 16 years ago, to really get upgraded, to have somebody pay attention to it and not thinking I would be sitting here. I was trying to be a proponent out there for the different groups in Washington to take it under its ... A Ockershausen: It became bigger than anybody thought it would be, Diane, but it was real big at one time and then it went down. I remember going to the dinners and we would bring talent in as an expense. The president of our company then was deeply involved with the convention and visitors bureau, board of trade, which essentially expired. But we'd bring in talent from Hollywood to participate in the festival and the parade, and then it slopped off until you brought it back. Diana Mayhew: Well, thank you. A Ockershausen: Which you did, Diana. Diana Mayhew: It wasn't just me by myself. Obviously it was a vision of several organizations in the city. The Downtown Business Improvement District actually was the one 16 years ago who said, "Let's go ahead and fund an executive director for three years." They donated the salary of an executive director for three years to start it ... getting strong again. There's so many volunteers over the years that have kept this festival together. Back in the days that you know, very, very strong, but if the volunteers sort of went away- A Ockershausen: Changed. Diana Mayhew: If they changed, there's no consistency, and that's what makes it a little weaker than we...