Tag Archives: Parade

Annual Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, D.C.

cherry blossoms

The 2014 Cherry Blossom Festival will be held this year from March 20 – April 13. The cherry trees were originally planted in the nation’s capital when the first ones were given as a gift of friendship from the people of Japan to the people of the U.S. The link gives a calendar of events. Plan ahead to go over and enjoy the beauty of early Spring. The best dates for au pairs and host families are the Saturday events, some of which are the following:

3/29 Blossom Kite Festival on the grounds of the Washington Monument

4/5 Southwest Waterfront Fireworks Festival

4/12 National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade AND Japanese Street Festival (locations given in the link)

Annual Cherry Blossom Festival Events calendar

Great Halloween Lantern Parade – October 26, 2013

The Baltimore cluster had a great time seeing the very creative lanterns parade around Patterson Park on the Saturday before Halloween. Afterwards we went over to Matthew’s Pizza on Eastern Ave. They’ve been baking pizza in Baltimore since the 1940’s. A good time was had by all. A definite repeat for next year!

St.Patrick's Day Celebrated

This past month has seen some unseasonably warm weather, and that made getting out and about even more fun! On March 17th, St. Patrick’s Day was celebrated. St. Patrick is said to have given a sermon from a hilltop that drove all the snakes from Ireland. St. Patrick’s Day has been celebrated in the U.Sl. since 1737. Traditional icons of the day are the shamrock, leprechaun, the color green and the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

The Annual Baltimore St. Patrick’s Day Parade was held on March 11 this year, beginning at the historic Mt. Vernon statue of George Washington. It proceeded down Charles Street and finished at the Inner Harbor. Imagine my surprise when I saw two au pairs of my cluster riding in the parade!! Marite Donayre, from Peru, and Sabrina Fantoni, from Brazil, just happened to be at the beginning area of the parade, and were invited to ride in a vintage car in the parade. I always say au pairs have the most fun!