The 55th annual Peach Blossom Festival of Oral Interpretation at Fresno State is March 14 and 15. The event will draw about 6,000 children representing nearly 200 elementary schools from the San Joaquin Valley.

Peach Blossom runs 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Thursday and 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday at various locations across campus. Check-in is in the lobby of the John Wright Theater at the Speech Arts Building main (north) entrance.

Hosted by the Department of Communication, the festival has grown to attract schools from Livingston  to Delano. It is coordinated by a committee of university students under festival director Stacie Mimura, part-time professor in Communication.

The festival was created to help young people gain knowledge and appreciation of literature through oral interpretation and performance. It also gives the children an opportunity to visit a university campus.

For more information, visit the Peach Blossom web page at www.peachblossomfestival.com  or call 559.278.4419.