BCinDC & the 2011 Convention

On the evening of February 14, the ResQgeek family, friends, and members of BCinDC met in Old Town Alexandria for a memorial release walk in honor of ResQgeek’s daughter, Becky (BookCrosser N-R-Jyzer). Equipped with heart balloons and bundled against fierce wind, we walked down to the tree planted in Becky’s honor in President’s Park, releasing books along the way.

In attendance were: ResQgeek & family (Sandy, PurplyPup, and their dog), dturnip1 & her husband, apples4hugs & his family, crrcookie & lilgrovers, KateKintail, mdm139 & family (Rock-Solid & T-train), and nat4lee. Across the world, many BookCrossers released books on the day as well.

For the past 20 Wednesdays, we have enjoyed bringing you installments of the Adventure Series, highlighting something different in the Washington, D.C., Metro Area. Many of these are options for part of your own BookCrossing Journey at the 2011 Convention. We’re sad to see this series come to an end–especially when there’s much more we could talk about–but we want to put all our attention into planning an exciting convention worthy of the 10th Anniversary of BookCrossing.

There is more to do & see in the Washington, D.C., area and we wanted to share with you all the topics we considered for additional Adventure Series posts:

With so many things to see and do, how will you choose?

Have you checked out the Convention Discussion Forum lately? They’re located here: http://bcindc.proboards.com/

There has been a lot of recent activity: people asking about hotels & roommates, people starting to make plans regarding extra activities, input needed from registered convention-goers about goodie bag/raffle prizes you might want, and much more. So check them out and join in on the conversations!

This post is part 20 and the final installment of our Wednesday Adventure Series. Each week we will highlight something different in the Washington, D.C., Metro Area, many of which will be options for part of your own BookCrossing Journey. With so many things to see and do, how will you choose?

Choose wisely: Are you registered for the convention? If so, please fill out the Saturday Survey to let us know what you’re thinking about choosing on Saturday.

In 1912, Tokyo mayor Yukio Ozaki gave Washington, D.C., a gift of over 3,000 Japanese cherry trees to celebrate the friendship between the two nations. A group of American school children reenacted the event in 1927, and the first National Cherry Blossom Festival was held in 1935. Over the years, this annual commemorative has blossomed into one of the biggest events in the region.

The giving did not stop in 1912. In 1952, America got to return the favor to Japan by sending cherry tree budwood to help replenish the very grove in which many of the original gifted trees had been grown. First Lady Lady Bird Johnson accepted a gift of 3,800 more trees in 1965. Finally, in 1981, cuttings were sent to Japan to replace trees destroyed in a flood.

The festival kicks off with the Pink Tie Party at the Mayflower Hotel, and ends nearly three weeks later with the Cherry Blossom Family Bike Rally and Ride to support the American Diabetes Association. Other popular events include the Blossom Kite Festival, Opening Ceremony, the Sakura Matsuri Japanese Street Festival, fireworks, and the Cherry Blossom Festival Parade. In addition, several musical and cultural events are planned throughout the city, much of which is free to attend.

The Tidal Basin is still lined with cherry trees today, offering plenty of lovely photo ops every spring. Picking the cherry blossoms is against federal law, so if you cannot resist you should consider planting your own tree.

The 2011 National Cherry Blossom Festival runs from March 26 to April 10, but most of the trees will still be in bloom during the BookCrossing Convention. Even if they’re not, you can always make your own.

Registered attendees can now fill out a short poll to let us know what you might be interested in doing on the Saturday of the 2011 BookCrossing Convention.

Choosing activities here does not bind you those activities and there is no need to register for any of them (apart from the Library of Congress & US Capitol Building tours already in the add-ons form many of you have filled out). You can change your mind on the day itself or even start one activity and move on to another halfway through. We will not be saving the results by screen name, so please do not expect us to know your choices here on the day of the convention. We simply need a general idea of interest in each activity.

Visit: http://www.bcindc.zoiks.org/?page_id=861 to let us know your choices!