CHERRY BLOSSOM DAY

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 265, 7 October 1940, Page 8

CHERRY BLOSSOM DAY

ESPLANADE POPULAR. THOUSANDS OF SIGHTSEERS. Favoured by perfect spring sun’shine, with a very alight breeze, yesterday was cherry blossom day for Palmerston North, and thousands of persons took the opportunity of walking or driving amid the glory of the Esplanade. The j blossom presented a display the magnificence of which has not been excelled in previous years, the. great feathery boughs enveloped in. showers of floral snow or resplendent in their clouds of delicate pink, being untouched by any destructive winds. The lawn bordering the paved drive for the length of the Esplanade carried hardly a petal, yet the blossoms were fully out and the stage in the" blooming could not have been more suited for the enjoyment of the sightseers. From early afternoon until about 5 p.m. there was a steady flow of motorcars through the drive, large numbers stopping for a time, and the visitors .exploring the many beauties which the gardens now present. In the new section of the Esplanade there was not as much traffic as on the main thoroughfare, but it was here that some of the finest displays of flowering shrubs and bedding plants were to be seen. Children had a glorious time in tho paddling pool presented to the city by the Returned Soldiers’ Association, and the wide lawns were play grounds for the time. Hundreds of people took the opportunity of strolling through tho labyrinth of cool pathways which tunnel through the bush, and cascades of clematis blossom and the smaller types of the native wild flowers were to be seen on the fringes of the green. Cameras were on every hand and the background of a mass of cherry blossom was a favourite subject for photography. The uniforms of the three Services, Army, Navy and Air Force, were 'freely sprinkled through the throng. The City Silver Band, under the conductorship of Mr J. B. Thomson, rendered a bright and tuneful programme from the rotunda, which was mut’h appreciated by the large audience. each number being warmly applauded. The programme was as follows: “God Delend New Zealand” (Woods); march, “Nutgrove” (Hart); selection, “Pirates of Penzance” (Sullivan); foxtrot, “Till the Lights of London Shine Again” (McKenzie); air varie, “Spanish Chant” (Greenwood); one-step, “There's a Boy Coming Home on Leave” (Kennedy); fantasia, “Normanhurst” (Greenwood); march, “Number Three” (Greenwood); National Anthem. Special concessions were offered on the municipal buses and no fewer than 700 persons took advantage of the service. Motor traffic through the drive -was well conducted and a constant patrol was maintained by the City Council traffic department, with pointsmen stationed at the entrances and junctions. Though yesterday was regarded as, the principal day for visitors- to the Esplanade, the cherry blossoms should be at their best for about a week yet and are expected to attract many more visitors. , . . Throughout the city this spring the cherry blossoms have presented a particularly charming display, and tho extent to ivhich many of the trees are growing in private gardens emphasises j the popularity this variety enjoys at i Palmerston North. In a number of the streets the trees are flowering cherry trees and here, too, a magnificent display was made.