FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 29 – May 6, 2017: Festival Schedule Includes a Week Of Exciting Event For Everyone
Buffalo, N.Y. — Officials from the Buffalo Cherry Blossom Festival and Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy were joined today by several dignitaries to kick off the 4th Annual Cherry Blossom Festival.
At this year’s festival, kicking off today April 29, and running through May 6, visitors will enjoy an opera preview, tea ceremony, a cocktail party, music, family activities and more.
Events during the week include a Music is Art “Instrument Zoo,” the “Cherry Blossom Challenge” Orienteering Event that navigates through Olmsted’s scenic Delaware Park and rides in pink cherry blossom row boats on Mirror Lake. Cosplay enthusiasts are encouraged to come to festival events in costume. The festival spans two weekends.
“Although this is only the fourth year for the Buffalo Cherry Blossom Festival, it has already achieved U.S. News and World Report’s ranking as one of the 10 best places to see cherry blossoms around the world. Congratulations to all of you who have worked so hard to make Buffalo’s Cherry Blossom Festival a success. Thank you to the Cherry Blossom Festival Committee and its co-chairs, Paula Hinz, Trudy Stern and Atsuko Nishida-Mitchell, as well as the Friends of the Japanese Garden, who work year-round to tend these beautiful trees,” Mayor Byron W. Brown said. “The Japanese Garden of Buffalo represents a symbol of international peace and generosity and beauty. It was a gift from the people of Kanazawa, Buffalo’s sister city in Japan.”
In Japan, cherry blossom celebrations include attending a hanami or flower viewing with friends, family, and colleagues. Picnics and parties under the cherry blossoms are a common sight in spring. The Friends of the Japanese Garden, the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy, and host sponsor, The Buffalo History Museum, invite Western New Yorkers to take advantage of this once-a-year celebration of nature.
“The 4th annual Cherry Blossom Festival wouldn’t be possible without the dedication of the Friends of the Japanese Garden and amazing corporate support from Mentholatum, Lockhouse Distillery, and even Wegmans for the support of the garden’s audio and walking tours. We are fortunate to have so many community partners who believe in the work we do to keep our parks beautiful.” said Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy’s executive director Stephanie Crockatt.
Cherry Blossoms, or sakura in Japanese, are a symbol of spring. Their ephemeral beauty reminds us of our own short life, well lived. There is a magical quality to cherry trees in bloom. The Buffalo
Cherry Blossom Festival is one of fewer than 30 cherry blossom celebrations nationwide and the only one in Western New York.
“Our first-time visitors to the Japanese Garden are always surprised to see that we have more than just Cherry Blossoms. With stone lanterns and six acres of peacefully landscaped space, most people feel like they have stumbled upon a secret garden,” said Paula Hinz, one of the festival’s co-chair. “Each year I’m amazed at how many people say ‘I never knew this was here,’” commented Hinz.
“We are truly honored to have the opportunity to work with the historic and prolific Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy,” said Cory Muscato, Lockhouse Partner & President of the New York State Distillers Guild. “It is the collaborative nature of projects such as these that truly set our industry and community apart. We’re excited to contribute even a small piece to the Olmsted Parks legacy.”
The Cherry Blossom Festival has these major goals: raising awareness of the Japanese Garden in Delaware Park, raising funds both to help maintain these six serene acres in Delaware Park and to actively encourage a widespread planting of ornamental cherry trees throughout Buffalo. All net proceeds raised from the Cherry Blossom Festival benefit the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy in the care and maintenance of the Japanese Garden in Delaware Park.
To learn more and view the full festival schedule please visit buffalocherryblossomfestival.org.
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About the Friends of the Japanese Garden
The Buffalo Cherry Blossom Festival takes place in the Japanese Garden in Delaware Park, which is maintained by the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy (BOPC). Its cherry tree orchard is situated in a picturesque location; the Statue of President Lincoln, which sits atop the portico of The Buffalo History Museum, gazes out into the orchard with Mirror Lake providing a frame for this colorful, yet peaceful garden. Learn more at: www.buffalocherryblossomfestival.org.
The Buffalo Cherry Blossom Festival is organized by The Friends of the Japanese Garden, a volunteer organization that supports Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy’s goal of caring for the Japanese Garden in Delaware Park. The BOPC is a 501(c)3 not-profit, membership-based, community organization whose mission is to promote, preserve, restore, enhance, and maintain the Frederick Law Olmsted-designed parks and parkways in the Greater Buffalo area for current and future generations. All net proceeds raised from the Festival are used to preserve and enhance the special nature of this garden.
About the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy
The Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy is the first nonprofit organization in the nation to manage and operate an entire urban park system that consists of 850 acres of beautifully designed parks, parkways and circles. The Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy is a membership-based, community organization whose mission is to promote, preserve, restore, enhance, and maintain the Frederick Law Olmsted-designed parks and parkways in the Greater Buffalo area for current and future generations. More than 2.5 million people use Buffalo’s historic, award-winning Olmsted Park System annually for recreation, relaxation and rejuvenation. The parks were designed by America’s first landscape architect, Frederick Law Olmsted 149 years ago. Basic maintenance of the parks has been greatly improved since the 2004 groundbreaking public/private agreement with the City of Buffalo and Erie County. Since that time, the Olmsted Parks Conservancy, now partnering with the City of Buffalo, has retained full responsibility for the management and care of these green spaces, which are listed on the National and State Registers of Historic Places. In 2014, the American Planning Association recognized Delaware Park as on of the the Great Places in America. Most recently, The Guardian named the Olmsted park system as one of the Top 10 Parks in the World. Learn more at: bfloparksapp.wpengine.com.
