Cherry Tree Project Keeps Tourism \'In the Pink\' and Benefits the ...

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Cherry Tree Project Keeps Tourism 'In the Pink' and Benefits theCommunity

By Victoria Goodman



With spring in the air, Howard County's 1,300 "Blossoms of Hope"cherry trees again burst forth in April to bring beauty to HowardCounty, attract visitors and raise cancer awareness. Now in itsfifth year, the cherry tree project continues to branch out andgrow with each new blossoming season.

Along with this year's profusion of pink came new partnerships,special recognitions, grove dedications, community lanternworkshops, the second annual Comcast "Cherrybration" and $14,000 tohelp the Claudia Mayer Cancer Resource Center serve the localcommunity.



Run Pink

The 2008 pink season kicked off with an announcement from TheColumbia Triathlon Association that it would partner with theprogram to present the new TriColumbia "Blossoms of Hope" Women'sHalf-Marathon in conjunction with the 2009 blossoming season. Therace is set to begin and end in downtown Columbia and follow a13.1-mile route that incorporates official Blossoms of Hope treeplanting sites. Based on similar events, organizers anticipate2,000 athletes for the inaugural running.

The half-marathon will run on Sunday, April 26, 2009, as part ofthe new Howard LIFE Festival. The festival is being presented April24-26 in partnership with the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adultsand will celebrate fitness, family and life. Merriweather PostPavilion, an official Blossoms of Hope site, will host portions ofthe health and wellness weekend which will include the Tour deHoward County bike ride, the Downtown Dash 5K run/walk and theMerriweather Mini kids' fun run. The Columbia Sheraton Town Centerwill serve as the official host hotel venue with on-site, pre-racewellness seminars and workshops for the athletes.



Dine Pink

Nine local, independent restaurants became program partners in 2008by adding "Pink" Plate Specials to their menus during the month ofApril. The new fundraising effort brought in more than $5,000 forthe cherry tree project. The participants included Aida Bistro &Wine Bar, Belmont Conference Center, Crab Shanty, Jordan'sSteakhouse, Kelsey's, Rams Head Tavern, Tersiguel's, Alexandra'sand The Waterside.



Plant Pink

Blossoms of Hope's tree planting program continues to spread pinkacross the county. This spring, dedication ceremonies were held forthe public land groves at Howard County's Central and East Columbialibrary branches. Six of the 18 groves are now fully sponsored withdedication plaques in place. New commitments for corporateplantings came from the Medical Center at Howard County (futurehome for the Claudia Mayer Cancer Resource Center), Howard Bank andWinchester Homes' Villas at Brown's Bridge. The Kwanzan trees arealso growing in popularity with homeowners, with 31 new treesplanted last year through the residential sales program. The 8-footsaplings, which are provided by Country Springs, a local wholesalenursery, are available for purchase in April and October.

Howard County's Department of Public Works' Bureau of Highways andthe Maryland State Highways Administration are steadily adding tothe tree inventory by planting pink along county roads. Mostrecently, efforts have focused on the medians of Route 32 andLittle Patuxent Parkway. The countywide planting project earnedBlossoms of Hope the designation of Tree-Mendous Marylander thisyear from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources ForestService and the Maryland Forest Conservancy District Boards.



Celebrate Pink

Plans to celebrate the trees' 2008 blossoming season began inmid-March as the community came together in a creative spirit ofcamaraderie under the name "Lanterns of Hope." Family and friends,young and old, students and seniors, worked together to create anddonate more than 500 paper lanterns that would glow pink, white andred at Cherrybration's luminary procession. Free lantern workshopswere held at Howard County libraries and the Howard County Centerfor the Arts. Private schools and social organizations took part inthe effort and Howard County's Recreational Licensed ChildcareProgram sponsored before- and after-school workshops for students.

Comcast Cherrybration drew more than 1,000 people to CentennialPark to celebrate the renewal of spring and the blossoming ofHoward County's trees on Saturday, May 3. The outdoor festival,presented in cooperation with the Howard County Department ofRecreation & Parks, featured music, strolling entertainers,children's activities, and educational displays on wellness, theoutdoors and the importance of nature.

In partnership with Howard County Leadership and Howard Bank, thefestival played host to the People's Recycled Drum Jam. Theperformance included impromptu musicians playing percussioninstruments made entirely from recycled materials. As the beat drewto a close, dusk began to fall. "Mother Nature," on hand for theday's celebration, gracefully summoned the crowd with glowing starshaped lanterns and led the way as the "Lanterns Of Hope" luminaryparade closed the festival with a sparkling river of light flowingthrough the park.

Other highlights of the season included the unveiling of Claudia'sCanvas - a new painting created by the community that now brightensthe walls of the Claudia Mayer Cancer Resource Center and greetscancer patients seeking support and assistance. Local artist TeriRizzutti's also lent her talent to the program by creating animpressionist oil entitled "Cherrybration" to help raise fundsthrough the sale of limited prints. And, once again, the HowardCounty Health Department took advantage of the trees' pink displayto offer free breast screenings in conjunction with Howard CountyGeneral Hospital's reduced cost mammogram program.



Victoria Goodman is executive director for Blossoms of Hope. Shecan be reached at 410-313-1900.