Hanami Line includes 100 ornamental cherry blossom trees.
Cherry Blossom Park HANAMI LINE CELEBRATES JAPANESE AMERICAN COMMUNITY
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he Sacramento Tree Foundation recently announced plans for Hanami Line, a cherry blossom park along the Sacramento River at Robert T. Matsui Waterfront Park. The new venue is expected to open to the public in 2023. This special gathering place will provide space to relax and play while celebrating the rich cultural contributions made by Japanese Americans to the Sacramento region. The plan includes more than 100 Pink Flair ornamental cherry trees that will bloom each spring so visitors can enjoy the experience of hanami (“flower viewing” in Japanese). Sacramento's Hanami Line also will be designed for
JL By Jessica Laskey Out & About
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year-round use ranging from meditation and yoga to food, art and music festivals. A sculpture will be added overlooking Jibboom Street, with plans to showcase artists in permanent and pop-up displays. Beginning at the sculpture, the Matsuyama Dori (“walkway”) will head northwest through the park toward Sacramento’s sister city, Matsuyama, Japan. Along the edge of the Matsuyama Dori, giant red Japanese parasolinspired structures will provide shade and beauty. The park’s unique seating will include organically shaped concrete benches and modern live-edge wood benches milled and dried by the Sacramento Tree Foundation’s Urban Wood Rescue program. To bring the 1.5-acre Hanami Line to life, the Sacramento Tree Foundation launched a capital campaign to raise $6.95 million and is already more than 90 percent of the way there thanks to philanthropic gifts from individuals, a $500,000 commitment from UC Davis Health, support from the city of Sacramento and a Caltrans Clean
California grant. To donate or for more information, visit sactree.org/hanami.
ACCESSIBLE PLAY If you and your little ones enjoy playing at Southside Park, you might notice there’s a new addition to the Universal Universe fully accessible playground. A We-Go-Round and music area are now available for kids of all abilities. The new attractions are thanks to the Jonnie and Friends Reach for the Stars campaign, a fundraising effort founded by the Laver family in honor of their late son, Jonnie. After complications from meningitis confined Jonnie to a wheelchair, his parents, Marc and Linda, made it their mission to give him the best life possible. Marc became Jonnie’s fulltime caregiver and the entire family, including younger sister Carolyn, became advocates for accessible play at area playgrounds. Jonnie loved Southside Park’s solar-system-themed Universal Universe playground, one of Northern California’s first fully accessible playgrounds that opened in 2005. The
Lavers helped add even more accessible attractions and programming, like free inclusive play dates, through a partnership with the city of Sacramento and the nonprofit Gifts to Share, Inc. Replacing worn equipment with fun, all-inclusive play structures and adding new programs and activities allows kids of all abilities to play together, make friends and reach for the stars. For more information and to donate, visit jonniesdreamplayground.com.
FOOD PILOT PROGRAM The Sacramento County Department of Human Assistance has launched a Food Insecurity Pilot Program aimed at lessening the pandemic’s impact on families getting the food they need. Applications for CalFresh and the California Food Assistance Program have grown year over year for those with low or fixed incomes, and the pandemic only made things worse. The pilot program includes increased funding to the food bank, new food delivery services and partnerships with local nonprofits to ensure services are reaching those that need them most.
