The blossoms are coming! The blossoms are coming!

photo uploaded to flickr by cliff1066™
Outside of a Presidential Inauguration, no event reliably brings the crowds to DC like the annual Cherry Blossom Festival. And while it may be hard to think of when we haven't seen the plus side of freezing in days and the remnants of a kick-ass igloo still occupy pride of place on my front lawn, those of you making serious plans from Cherry Blossom time might want to get moving.

If you're looking for a primer on what the hoopla is all about, I'll refer you to last year's discussion. Suffice it to say, the Cherry Blossoms are magnificent and if you don't believe me you can ask the several hundred thousand folks you will be jostling with. It's not too early to begin planning hotels, etc. and we'll be providing updated information about 2010's events as they become clear, as well as advice on how best to enjoy the event.

But for planning purposes, the mayor recently announced the dates of the Cherry Blossom Festival, which will run from March 27th to April 11th of this year. This is not to be confused with the Peak Bloom Date, which is defined as when 70 percent of the Yoshino Cherry Blossoms are open. Like most forecasting, this will require much guess work and when the gurus at the National Park Service look into the entrails of a chicken at midnight and come up with that date, we'll pass it on. For now, just remember the average date is April 4th, with a historical earliest date of March 15th and a latest date of April 18th.

So get your cameras ready, and sharpen your elbows! We have some Blossoming to do.