Vancouver Cherry Tree Blossom Festival launches ‘Birthday Blossoms’

Buy your ‘Birthday Blossoms’ Cherry Tree Early and Save 

Vancouver, BC (March 3, 2010): The Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival and the David and Dorothy Lam Foundation are giving citizens the opportunity to enjoy and participate in Vancouver’s 125th birthday celebration on April 6, 2011 by planting an ornamental cherry tree.  From now until early next year, citizens can reserve a ‘Birthday Blossoms’ tree for $30 for themselves or as a gift, with proceeds supporting the initiative to preserve 36,000 cherry trees that help make our city unique and beautiful.  The limited supply of 3,000 trees set to be planted all over the city on private property, school grounds and company lawns.

As another way to encourage more participants, the ‘Birthday Blossoms’ can be bought for Mother’s Day, weddings, graduations, anniversaries, or any other joyous occasions, not just birthdays.  The trees are growing beautifully now in the Nursery and will be available for pick up from GardenWorks next April 2011. The underlying purpose is to bring the community together, not just through planting the cherry trees, but through an appreciation of the beauty surrounding our city. 

Linda Poole, the Festival’s Director, says the following: “The festival is aware of the life cycle of many of the cherry trees gifted by Japan in the early 1930s and feels it is our responsibility to plant now for the next generation. This year our new ‘Birthday Blossoms’ initiative is a gift that doesn’t stop giving, because every spring we are showered with the soft pink beauty of cherry blossom petals.  People are helping the environment too by planting a cherry tree.  This event promotes both beauty and sustainability”. She continues, “Make sure you don’t miss out and reserve one of the 3,000 trees at the special offer price of $30.” To order your tree: http://www.vcbf.ca/birthdayblossom

While the full Cherry Blossom Festival is not taking place in 2010, in addition to ‘Birthday Blossoms’, there are a number of ways to celebrate. The 2010 Haiku Invitational encourages both budding and seasoned poets to join other poets from around the world to honour our awe-inspiring cherry trees by writing a haiku on the theme of cherry blossoms. Call for entries is now open todaywith the deadline being 31st May, 2010. Winners will be announced in Fall and the top five poems will be featured on TransLink transportation throughout Metro Vancouver (for more information, please visit www.vcbf.ca/haiku/haiku-invitational-2010).  

The grand finale is Bike the Blossoms on April 17th, which celebrates its third year of providing a breathtaking tour of Vancouver by bike from Vanier Park to Commercial Drive, allowing cyclists to experience all of city’s unique areas; cultural, seasonal and urban. The length of the route will also be a celebration of the city and culture with music, performers and light refreshments. Register with the Vancouver Area Cycling Coalition at www.greatrides.ca  

About Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival

The Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival Society is a non-for –profit organization which embraces the first moments of spring and honors the cherry tree through its festival’s unique cultural programming, which is not limited to the celebration of “Birthday Blossoms”.  Citizens are encouraged to celebrate the forthcoming of spring by entering a Haiku contest, “Biking the Blossoms”, becoming a Cherry Scout, and attending the Cherry Jam, a free concert in downtown, commencing in 2011.  The objectives of such community events include public education through seasonal, cherry themed, city wide viewing programs, musical performances, and fine art and craft exhibitions. A complete list of programming can be found on the new website www.vcbf.ca

For more information, please contact: