Lake Michigan College will host Deep Roots & Beautiful Blooms: The History and Heritage of Blossomtime, a free public program on Sunday, March 23rd from 4:00–5:00 PM in room L-311 of the Main Building on Benton Harbor campus. Refreshments will be served.
From the pageantry of the Grand Floral Parade to the charisma of the Community Queens, the Blossomtime Festival has captured the spirit of Southwest Michigan since the turn of the 20th century. This event, organized by LMC’s Literacy & Numeracy Across the Curriculum working group, will bring together local historians and archivists to explore the lore and legacy of one of the region’s most cherished traditions.
Historian and Michigan State University PhD candidate Jayson Otto will lead a discussion on the history of Blossomtime, drawing on his expertise in cultural environmental history and Southwest Michigan’s fruit farming heritage. He will be joined by Olivia Beebe and Neave Carroll of the Israelite House of David Archives & Collections, who will discuss the role of archives in preserving local history, and showcase artifacts, archives, and ephemera from the Israelite House of David’s remarkable holdings.
“This is a wonderful opportunity for community members to connect with a piece of Southwest Michigan’s cultural identity,” said Lia McCoskey, Lake Michigan College English Faculty. “We’re excited to bring together these talented historians and archivists to shed light on an event that has meant so much to this region for generations.”
Event Details
Date: Sunday, March 23rd, 2026
Time: 4:00–5:00 PM
Location: Lake Michigan College Main Campus, 2755 E. Napier Avenue in Benton Harbor, Room L311 in the Main Building
Admission: Free and open to all. Refreshments will be served.
About the Speakers
Jayson Otto is a cultural environmental historian and PhD candidate at Michigan State University. He holds degrees in Anthropology from Grand Valley State University and Ecological Food and Farming from MSU. His scholarship on West Michigan history has appeared in the Michigan Historical Review, and he recently served as a keynote speaker at the Michigan Centennial Farm Association. His current dissertation examines the persistence of fruit farming in Southwest Michigan.
Olivia Beebe is a Michigan native who earned her MA in Art History & Curation from the University of Birmingham, England in 2020. In nearly three years with the Israelite House of David Archives & Collections, she has focused on increasing the accessibility of the institution’s rich holdings.
Neave Carroll recently earned her MA in History from Louisiana State University, where she also served as an Archives Specialist at the Louisiana State Archives. She brings expertise in cataloguing and conservation to her role at the Israelite House of David Archives & Collections.
