For Immediate Release: March 8, 2007
Media Contacts: Emma Filar, Marketing & Communications Associate
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2007 National Cherry Blossom Festival: News Release
Family Festival Day and Opening Ceremony Presented by National Building Museum and National Cherry Blossom Festival
WASHINGTON, D.C.—The official kick-off for Washington D.C.'s National Cherry Blossom Festival® (NCBF) will begin on Saturday, March 31, 2007, at the National Building Museum (NBM) with the National Cherry Blossom Festival Family Day. Presented in collaboration with the Museum, the free Family Day runs from 10:00 am to 3:30 pm. The official Opening Ceremony will be held from 4:00 to 5:30 pm, rain or shine. The National Cherry Blossom Festival Family Day and Opening Ceremony marks the beginning of the two-week long celebration of the cherry blossoms and the commencement of spring in Washington.
For the second year in a row, Opening Day festivities will be presented jointly by the NBM and the NCBF in anticipation of thousands of families from around the region and nation that will attend. "We are thrilled to hold Opening Day with the National Building Museum again. Last year was such a success, and we look forward to kicking off the Festival with the National Building Museum and making this year's Opening Day bigger and better than ever," said Diana Mayhew, executive director of NCBF.
The National Cherry Blossom Festival Family Day, dedicated to Japanese arts and design, will be held in the NBM's Great Hall, offering a variety of activities, performances, and demonstrations. New and exciting elements to Family Day include a special installation of an original Japanese Garden in the Museum's Great Hall by the Japanese Garden Society of Oregon. Traditional and contemporary demonstrations feature ways Japan continues to "go green," offered to complement the NBM's exhibition The Green House: New Directions in Sustainable Architecture and Design.
"We are delighted, once again, to welcome 7,000 visitors to the National Building Museum to experience the magic of Japanese design, arts, and crafts. The National Cherry Blossom Festival Family Day and Opening Ceremony is a fantastic occasion in our nation's capital and we are proud to participate," said Chase Rynd, executive director of the NBM.
Other activities at the National Cherry Blossom Festival Family Day will include folding origami; construction of miniature Japanese-style paper gardens; a large-scale Kimono Fashion Show presented by the Cultural Foundation for Promoting the National Costume of Japan; and a master demonstration of traditional Furoshki techniques, the ancient Japanese art of cloth folding to carry or wrap items. Decorate a kabuki mask in the Target® activity area; view screenings of the anime (Japanese animation) environmentally-themed film Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind; and watch mukimono, the ancient Japanese art of vegetable and fruit carving, demonstrated by culinary experts from the Art Institute of Washington.
For more information on Family Day, visit the Museum's website at www.www.nbm.org or call 202.272.2448. Rain or Shine. No cost or registration required. Appropriate for all ages. Museum Café and Museum Shop open. Official 2007 National Cherry Blossom Festival® merchandise available for purchase.
The Opening Ceremony will be held at the National Building Museum following the Family Day from 4:00 to 5:30 pm, first-come, first-served seating. Festivities will include welcoming remarks by Washington dignitaries, the introduction of NCBF Goodwill Ambassadors, and a special performance by internationallyrenowned Japanese flutist and percussionist Masazuku Yoshizawa, a soloist on the soundtrack of the film Memoirs of a Geisha. Reservations are not required. For more information on the Opening Ceremony, call 202.661.7584.
The National Cherry Blossom Festival® Family Day and Opening Ceremony is sponsored by Target® and is funded in part by the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities, an agency supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts. NCBF extends special thanks to Linder & Associates for event production services as well as La Prima Catering and Lipton, a brand of Unilever.
The National Cherry Blossom Festival® is an annual two-week, citywide event featuring daily cultural performances, sporting events, arts & crafts demonstrations and other special happenings. The 2007 Festival will be held March 31 – April 15. Visit www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.org for more information.
Minneapolis-based Target serves guests at 1,487 stores in 47 states nationwide by delivering today's best retail trends at affordable prices. Target is committed to providing guests with great design through innovative products, in-store experiences and community partnerships. Whether visiting a Target store or shopping online at Target.com, guests enjoy a fun and convenient shopping experience with access to thousands of unique and highly differentiated items. Target gives back more than $3 million a week to its local communities through grants and special programs. Since opening its first store in 1962, Target has partnered with nonprofit organizations, guests and team members to help meet community needs.
The National Building Museum is America’s leading cultural institution dedicated to advancing the quality of the built environment by educating people about its impact on their lives. Through its exhibitions, educational programs, online content, and publications, the Museum has become a vital forum for the exchange of ideas and information about the world we build for ourselves. Public inquiries: 202.272.2448 or visit www.nbm.org. Connect with us on Twitter: @BuildingMuseum and Facebook.
