Sacramento Tree Foundation Announces Colorful Addition To Riverfront Park
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — More than 100 cherry trees should be in full bloom around this time next year at Robert T. Matsui Park along the Sacramento River as the centerpiece of a nearly $7 million project announced Thursday by the Sacramento Tree Foundation.
Congresswoman Doris Matsui believes the colorful addition to the park named for her late husband will become a regional attraction akin to the cherry blossoms that bring tourists to Washington, D.C., every spring.
Congresswoman Doris Matsui, (D) Sacramento, is honorary co-chair of the Hanami Line Capital Campaign
"We're on the banks of the Sacramento River and you're going to see the cherry trees. They're going to be abundant and you're going to see them from every vantage point," she said.
The springtime ritual is what the Japanese call Hanami, a celebration of the transient beauty of cherry blossoms and other flowers. The 1.5-acre Hanami Line between Old Sacramento and the new MOSAC science center will include public art and a festival space with sweeping views of the Sacramento River and downtown skyline.
Artist rendering of the Hatami Line of cherry trees. (credit: Sacramento Tree Foundation)
Major sponsors of the cherry blossom project include the City of Sacramento, Caltrans and a half-million-dollar gift from UC Davis Health.