Library Matters Column

Greene County Library
Published: March 31, 2008

This year’s National Cherry Blossom Festival marks the 96th anniversary of Tokyo’s gift of 3,000 cherry trees to Washington, D.C., representing the growing friendship between Japan and the United States.
First Lady Helen Herron Taft and Viscountess Chinda planted the first two trees on March 27, 1912, on the north bank of the Tidal Basin. 
Today, the Festival is a two-week, citywide cultural event, and more than one million people flock to D.C. to admire the blossoming trees at the start of the spring season.
If you’re planning a visit during this year’s Festival, from March 29 to April 13, read up on visiting Washington, DC before your trip.  Here are some books available from the Greene County Library.
• City! Washington, D.C. - designed for children.  Describes the building, history, and significant sights of Washington, D.C.
• The Library of Congress: The Art and Architecture of the Thomas Jefferson Building

• The President’s House: A First Daughter Shares the History and Secrets of the World’s Most Famous Home by Margaret Truman
• Washington, D.C.: A Smithsonian Book of the Nation’s Capitol
• Washington, D.C., With Kids
• A City of Gardens: Glorious Public Gardens In and Around the Nation’s Capitol
• Supertour (video recording) Dudley Moore gives a tour of the Smithsonian’s 14 museums, including interviews with some of their directors.
To find these books or others, just go to the Greene County Library and the staff will be happy to help you.