A City in Bloom

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Forget the summer heat. Think spring, arts and culture, and the National Cherry Blossom Festival’s celebration of the 100th anniversary of Tokyo’s gift of trees to Washington, DC. The nation’s greatest springtime fete will be here before you know it. In fact, to whet your appetite and gear up for the 2012 Centennial Celebration, the Festival will unveil surprises galore in store for you at the five-week extravaganza during a must-attend luncheon at noon on Wednesday, September 28, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center (801 Mount Vernon Place). Here’s your chance to get your sneak peak on!

The Centennial Celebration will commemorate in an unprecedented way the 3,000 cherry blossom trees bequeathed to DC in 1912. Come Tuesday, March 20 through Friday, April 27, there will be something for everyone—fireworks, free entertainment, art, galas, and of course, cherry blossoms. The affair will involve the highest levels of government, DC’s and the nation’s best cultural institutions, top celebrities, and world-class performers. Enticing? Well, this is only a glimpse.

To learn more, get your ticket to the Centennial Preview Luncheon and hobnob with Washington area professional, cultural, and civic leaders. Individual tickets are $100; luncheon and table sponsorships, replete with a range of benefits and acknowledgments, can be purchased for $10,000, $5,000 and $2,500.  For more information, visit www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.org.

Also, keep an eye out for the beautiful, new Cherry Blossom Centennial Forever stamp to be released by the US Postal Service (USPS) next year. Talk about gorgeous. Two stamps in the official postage stamp image form a single, panoramic view of cherry blossom trees in full bloom around the Tidal Basin. The stamp is only one of about 30 commemorative designs, chosen from nearly 40,000 applications, and will be rolled out with much fanfare. USPS will produce about 100 million Cherry Blossom Centennial stamps. How cool is that?