Norton, D.C. Girl Scouts, and Ballou to March in Cherry Blossom Parade Saturday
WASHINGTON, DC -- Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) will march in the National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade Saturday, marking the 100th anniversary of the annual celebration with 15 Girl Scouts from five different troops that meet at the First Baptist Church in Ward 4. The Girl Scouts range from five year olds to high school seniors. They will march behind the marching band from Ballou Senior High School in Ward 8.
Norton, who has walked in every National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade since she was elected to Congress, gives the parade and other cherry blossom celebrations special focus.
"Cherry blossom season allows me to mix the practical with the merely beautiful attractions in our city," Norton said. "Parading with our residents reminds visitors that they have come to a home town, not only official Washington."
The annual festival marks the unofficial start of D.C.'s tourist season. More than a million people are expected to visit the city during the five-week festival, bringing in more than $100 million to the District's local economy.
The parade pays tribute to the gift of cherry blossom trees from Japan to the United States, and the enduring friendship between the two countries.
Published: April 13, 2012