Secretary Salazar Kicks of 2009 National Cherry Blossom Festival
Music/Announcer: This is a Podcast from the U.S. Department of the Interior.
Ron Tull: Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar in his remarks observing the beginning of the upcoming 2009 National Cherry Blossom Festival shared a personal memory about Washington’s famous trees and ended his remarks with a message of hope.
Ken Salazar: Thank you all very much for being here this morning. My mother and my father spent a good deal of time here during World War II. My mother worked in the War Department, found her way across the United States of America here to Washington DC to work in what was then called the War Department, and she had not been here to see the cherry blossoms since the 1940’s until two years ago and two years ago I brought here out here and she spent four or five days and it was truly one of the crowning experiences of her life. At 87, she remembers so much about Washington but in particular, the cherry blossoms. So I think for all of us here in this country who are proud Americans, we look at this nation and this capital of ours and we know that it represents some of the iconic treasures that we have in this country. Certainly, the cherry blossoms are part of that.
Since 1912, The National Cherry Blossom Festival has been one of our nation’s most enduring and cherished rites of spring. The festival commemorates the 1912 gift of 3,000 cherry trees from Mayor Ozaki of Tokyo to the city of Washington honoring the lasting friendship between the United States and Japan and celebrating the continued close relationship between the two countries. Nearly a hundred years later, this gift continues to give in the spirit of friendship and peace. There are now approximately 3,750 trees with 12 different species of Cherry trees.
The most common of which is Yoshino Cherry tree which produces the almost white petals but which has a hint of pink in the center of the blossom. Beyond the beauty of these trees, The Cherry Blossom Festival provides visitors, opportunities to enjoy our nation’s capital during the most colorful time of the year. This year, we expect one million visitors from all around the world. If you sit by the tidal basin as I will during the next two weeks. You will hear many languages from all around the globe. The Cherry Blossom Festival is truly an international celebration of the beauty and history of one of the world’s great cities.
The National Cherry Blossom Festival also represents some of the largest infusion of tourism dollars into the economy of this region. With one million visitors, the festival represents for us the largest tourist event anywhere in the national park service. The park service works in close partnership with The National Cherry Blossom Festival, The District of Columbia and other partners that host the variety of events. Those events include The National Cherry Blossom Family Day and also The National Cherry Blossom Parade.
Let me just conclude by making this comment. You know we are at a time of some economic crisis in America and President Obama is focused on making sure that our economy comes back, that we restore the strength of America and our economic position around the world and that we move forward with a spirit that is a spirit of faith in our future, and spirit of confidence, and a spirit of a can-do attitude for America. When we look at what is happening here in this festival, it’s also a celebration of new beginnings. It’s a celebration of the spring time coming upon us and it’s that kind of an attitude that we will see flourishing around this country.
We have full confidence that as this spring is upon us as we mark it with the Cherry Blossom Festival here in Washington that we will see us, see this nation through this crisis of these times and then our best days are still ahead. So when I think back to the generations that have stood here before us and celebrated these events before.
They always had faith that around the corner, there were better times and so for those who are suffering now to the economic crisis of America with our high unemployment rates and the other difficulties that we have, I want them all to know that President Obama is absolutely committed to that sense of hope and eternal confidence that these kinds of festivals supply to all of us as Americans. So, thank you all for being very much a part of this event today.
[Applause]
Ron Tull: This has been a podcast from the Department of the Interior radio news service. I’m Ron Tull, Washington.
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