MEDIA ADVISORY
Press Conference at The Portico Of The Buffalo History Museum. Festival dates: April 29 – May 6. Download a PDF of the media advisory here.
Who:
Paula Hinz, Festival co-chair
Stephanie Crockatt, Executive Director, Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy
Mayor Byron W. Brown (D), City of Buffalo
New York State Senator Chris Jacobs (R), 60th Senate District
Joe Koessler, Honorary Consul-General, Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Japanese Ambassador Reiichiro Takahashi, Consul-General of Japan in New York
Legislator Peter Savage, III, (D), District 3, Erie County Legislature
Joseph Golombek, Jr., North District Common Council Member
Cory Muscato, Partner and Operations Manager at Lockhouse Distillery
What:
Press Conference and Opening Celebration of the 4th Annual Buffalo Cherry Blossom Festival Cherry and tree-planting ceremony
When:
Saturday, April 29, 2017 — 12 noon
Where:
The portico of The Buffalo History Museum
1 Museum Court, Buffalo, NY 14216(off Elmwood Avenue and Nottingham Terrace)
Following the press conference, enjoy a dance performance by Oodori no Kai, a Japanese folk dance group and a preview performance of “Madama Butterfly”, composed by Giacomo Puccini and presented by the Buffalo Opera Unlimited. Both performances will take place at the portico of The Buffalo History Museum.
Special thanks to our generous supporters for making this festival possible: Mentholatum, Arts Services Initiative of Western New York, Lockhouse Distillery, and The Buffalo History Museum.
To learn more about the festival or to view the festival schedule, please click here.
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About the Friends of the Japanese Garden
The Buffalo Cherry Blossom Festival takes place in the Japanese Garden in Delaware Park, which is maintained by the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy (BOPC). Its cherry tree orchard is situated in a picturesque location; the Statue of President Lincoln, which sits atop the portico of The Buffalo History Museum, gazes out into the orchard with Mirror Lake providing a frame for this colorful, yet peaceful garden. Learn more at: http://www.buffalocherryblossomfestival.org
The Buffalo Cherry Blossom Festival is organized by The Friends of the Japanese Garden, a volunteer organization that supports Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy’s goal of caring for the Japanese Garden in Delaware Park. The BOPC is a 501 (c)(3) not-profit, membership-based, community organization whose mission is to promote, preserve, restore, enhance, and maintain the Frederick Law Olmsted-designed parks and parkways in the Greater Buffalo area for current and future generations. All net proceeds raised from the Festival are used to preserve and enhance the special nature of this garden.
About the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy
The Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy is the first nonprofit organization in the nation to manage and operate an entire urban park system that consists of 850 acres of beautifully designed parks, parkways and circles. The Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy is a membership-based, community organization whose mission is to promote, preserve, restore, enhance, and maintain the Frederick Law Olmsted-designed parks and parkways in the Greater Buffalo area for current and future generations. More than 2.5 million people use Buffalo’s historic, award-winning Olmsted Park System annually for recreation, relaxation and rejuvenation. The parks were designed by America’s first landscape architect, Frederick Law Olmsted, more than 145 years ago. Basic maintenance of the parks has been greatly improved since the 2004 groundbreaking public/private agreement with the City of Buffalo and Erie County. Since that time, the Olmsted Parks Conservancy, now partnering with the City of Buffalo, has retained full responsibility for the management and care of these green spaces, which are listed on the National and State Registers of Historic Places. In 2014, the American Planning Association recognized Delaware Park as on of the the Great Places in America. Most recently, The Guardian named the Olmsted park system as one of the Top 10 Parks in the World. Learn more at: bfloparks.wpengine.com
