March 2008
                                          
Mayor Fenty, DC Sports and Entertainment Commission and Washington Nationals Plant Cherry Blossom Trees at Nationals Park

 (Washington, DC) - As we kick off the National Cherry Blossom season, today, Mayor Adrian Fenty, DC Sports and Entertainment Commission, and the Washington Nationals planted the final cherry blossom tree in the Nationals Park centerfield plaza. The fourteen trees are located throughout the center field plaza and behind the left field seats. The Kwanzan trees were grown in Southeastern Pennsylvania at William F. Hammel Nurseries and transported to Washington earlier in the week. All trees were put in place by KT Enterprises, a local landscape development firm.

Since 1912, when 3,000 cherry blossom trees were gifted to the United States from Japan and planted along the Tidal Basin, the trees have become their own attraction and synonymous with the District. The cherry blossom trees symbolize not just the arrival of spring and the continued relationship between the United States and Japan but also the natural beauty of our nation’s capital city.

“As we plant this grove of cherry trees here at Nationals ballpark, we are reminded of the magnificence of the District of Columbia with one of its most visible icons and the sign of the coming of spring, making the opening of baseball synonymous with the cherry blossom festival,” said Mayor Fenty. “I can’t think of a more fitting tribute.”

“The planting of the cherry blossom trees is just one of the features that will help create a look that visitors will associate only with the District and today’s ceremony is yet another reminder of the hard work and dedication that the District’s team has put in to completing this project,” said Matthew Cutts, DC Sports and Entertainment Board Chairman.

The Nationals will play the first game of the 2008 season when they take on the Baltimore Orioles in an Exhibition Game on Saturday, March 29 at 6:00 p.m.  The team will open its regular season on the following evening when they play host to the Atlanta Braves in a nationally televised game at 8:05 p.m. on ESPN.   President George W. Bush is expected to throw out the first pitch.  As the new home for the Washington Nationals, the ballpark will be an important and exciting new development for the District and the Greater Washington region.