Cherry Hill Cherry Blossoms Need Your Help Now!

With delightfully warm spring-like weather in the air, cherry blossoms will be blooming once again along Chapel Avenue in Cherry Hill before we realize it.
For nearly 40 years these beautiful blossoms have bloomed thanks to the tireless dedication of Joe Zanghi and his band of merry cherry blossom planters, pruners, weeders and lovers.
In fact, next year will mark the 40th anniversary of the planting of the first blossoms and preparations are underway now to make sure that the remaining 17 spots on Chapel Avenue without cherry trees are filled with these resplendent spring beauties.
Here is a special message that we've just received from Joe Zanghi. Read it and find out how you can help right now:

To the Townspeople, Political Leaders, Schools. Organizations, Businessmen & Religious groups of Cherry Hill

In the year 2013  -- the 40th Anniversary of the first cherry tree planting on Chapel Avenue and the first Cherry Blossom Parade ever to march on Chapel Avenue will soon be upon us. We are asking your support to complete the cherry tree plantings on Chapel Avenue before the arrival of the 40th Anniversary of these two historic events.  


Since 1973 Cherry Hill's Firefighters have continued the tradition of planting cherry trees along Chapel Avenue -- even after the popular Cherry Blossom Parade and Festival unfortunately ended in 1992! The continuing support of the Firefighters to complete Chapel Avenue with continuous rows of cherry trees have resulted in 1416 cherry trees planted in Cherry Hill to date. Their support for this effort is endless and it continues today. 


For the past 10 years the American Legion Post 372 War Veterans have also supported the cherry tree effort! They have contributing funds to help pay for the new cherry trees plantings. In addition -- our proud War Veterans have placed hundreds of American flags and yellow ribbons onto the blossoming cherry trees in a solemn remembrance of the 2996 innocent lives lost on September 11, 2001 and to show proud support for our military. 


Cherry Hill's Firefighters and War Veterans have made Cherry Hill's -  "9-11 Remembrance & Patriotic Gratitude" event on Chapel Avenue possible for the past 10 years!  Chapel Avenue with its hundreds of blossoming cherry trees, American flags and yellow ribbons has become a very "special avenue" for the community of Cherry Hill! 


Chapel Avenue's blossoming cherry trees when adorned with American flags and yellow ribbons is a reflection of community pride. It represents Cherry Hill's remembrance and prayer for the victims of September 11, 2001, it represents our pride and support for our military, it reflects our sincere allegiance to our country. It represents the people of Cherry Hill.


This year our group would like to finally complete the planting of cherry trees on Chapel Avenue. This idealistic quest began 40 years ago by a small group of residents who wanted to do something good for the community of Cherry Hill. Every year we managed to plant a few more cherry trees on Chapel Avenue! It was our hope that the community would accept the ideals for which the two- mile avenue of blossoming cherry trees were to represent and do for Cherry Hill.


It is now time for the full community to come together to complete a two mile section of Chapel Avenue with continuous rows of cherry trees! The annual display of millions of cherry blossoms on Chapel Avenue will call on the community to celebrate all that is good and meaningful in Cherry Hill. The annual arrival of the cherry blossoms should bring us together, as a proud community, every year to celebrate our township! It is so important that Chapel Avenue's two-mile avenue of cherry trees be completed before the 40th Anniversary arrives next year. 


For your information -- there are only seventeen(17) shade trees standing among the hundreds of cherry trees along Chapel Avenue. We are contacting thirteen(13) home owners seeking their permission for us to remove the remaining 17 shade trees from Chapel Avenue. To date -- nine(9) of these property owners have already given us permission to remove a total of eleven(11) of the remaining seventeen(17) shade trees on Chapel Avenue! We are still trying to make contact with the other owners of the remaining six(6) shade trees!


The community Cherry Hill must raise the necessary funds to pay for the removal of the remaining seventeen(17) shade trees and for the purchase of new cherry trees that will be replacing them. The 40th Anniversary event, next year, will be highlighted by the return of the Cherry Blossom Parade. We will celebrate the completion of Chapel Avenue's two-mile avenue of cherry trees and we will also celebrate the positive attributes of our town - Cherry Hill! 


Please join us and have your organization become a part of this community effort of forty(40) years to complete Chapel Avenue's with continuous rows of cherry trees. All organizations will have an opportunity to participate in the Cherry Blossom Parade that is being planned for the 40th Anniversary event in 2013! 


Please contact us to show your support! We must work together to realize this idealistic goal for future generations of Cherry Hill to enjoy. We have met with Mayor Cahn to help us achieve the completion of Chapel Avenue with continuous rows of cherry trees. He seemed genuinely interested in our efforts to complete this idealistic quest for Cherry Hill. Another meeting with Mayor Cahn will be scheduled when all of the fact findings of the possible cost to achieve these goals are put together.  


You can visit our website to see what our group has accomplished for Cherry Hill over many years!

http://www.cherryblossomsincherryhillnj.yolasite.com

Joseph G. Zanghi