Burlington Mundialization Committee coordinates a virtual celebration of spring, including a live photo stream of the Japanese cherry blossoms in Spencer Smith Park

News 100 greenBy Staff

April 28th, 2021

BURLINGTON, ON

 

Watching the Cherry Blossoms Bloom.
The City of Burlington’s Mundialization Committee invites residents to celebrate spring and the city’s friendship with its twin cities, Apeldoorn, the Netherlands and Itabashi, Japan.

To help limit the spread of COVID-19 and following the current provincial Stay-at-Home order, all celebrations will be held virtually this year.

These trees have been in place for close to 25 years and each spring their blossoms come out first in pink and then change to white and then fall to the ground. Each spring the hope, the beauty and the relationship with the people of Japan who gave us the trees is renewed.

These trees have been in place for years: each spring their blossoms come out first in pink and then change to white and then fall to the ground. Each spring the hope, the beauty and the relationship with the people of Japan who gave us the trees is renewed.

Virtual Sakura Festival
This year’s virtual Sakura Festival commemorates Burlington’s 32-year twin-city friendship with Itabashi, Japan and includes:

• Live photo stream of cherry blossoms: Follow the progress of the Japanese cherry blossoms on the Sakura trees in Spencer Smith Park as they get ready to burst into bloom over the coming weeks, with a live photo stream available on burlington.ca/CherryBlossoms.

Through the photo stream, residents can view new photos of the trees, taken every day, or select the time lapse feature to see the progression of the blooms to date.

• Videos celebrating Japanese culture: Between May 5 – 12, follow the City’s social media channels, @cityburlington on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, for videos featuring traditional Japanese performances in music, dance and more.
Canada Netherlands Day

This year’s virtual celebration recognizes the 76th anniversary of the liberation of the Netherlands by the Canadian Armed Forces and the 16th anniversary of Burlington’s twinning with the City of Apeldoorn.

• May 5 – Follow the City’s social media channels, @cityburlington on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, to see two videos featuring distinguished guests, and musical performances from groups in Apeldoorn and Burlington. Highlights include a speaker who shares his experiences as a small boy at the end of World War II, and a unique performance by elementary school students from Trinity Christian School in Burlington.

Commisso and Mayor in Japan

Mayor Marianne Meed Ward leads the parade in Itabashi, Japan, with city manager (white shirt center) Tim Commisso following and showing fine form.

Itabashi, Japan

Mayor Marianne Meed Ward had this to say: “The cherry blossoms of the Sakura trees in Spencer Smith Park are one of our city’s most picturesque landmarks our community, and visitors, look forward to every year.

This year, as we do our part to stay home and limit outdoor gatherings to members of the same household, this virtual experience means that residents can enjoy these beautiful pink blooms no matter where there are. I’m also looking forward to commemorating an important milestone in Canada Netherlands Day marking the 76th anniversary of the liberation of the Netherlands by Canadian Armed Forces – arguably the birth of the deep connection and friendship between our two nations.

We are very fortunate in Burlington to have formed strong friendships with our twin cities – Itabashi, Japan and Apeldoorn, the Netherlands — and I thank our Mundialization Committee for coordinating this year’s virtual events in honour of these important and special relationships.”

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