Photographer: Rachel Randall Cherry Blossoms on April 4, 2018

Ohio University plans to begin lighting up the grove of Cherry Trees near the Hocking River and the Convocation Center during the second week of April.

University officials are hoping to begin the lighting on Wednesday, April 11, but it will depend on the weather and cherry blossoms. Each year when the trees bloom, Ohio University lights up the trees near the Convocation Center, just as they do in Japan. The lighting takes place between 8:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m., and the trees look spectacular

All students, faculty, staff and area residents are invited to see the evening view of the trees, which have become a landmark of the Ohio University campus.

Over the years the flowering trees have become a symbol of spring’s arrival in Athens. They have been featured in local publications and Ohio University websites, and given generations of students one of the most endearing memories of the city and the campus.

Ohio University was given the cherry trees as a gift from Chubu University, the university’s longtime partner university in Kasugai, Japan. The trees were first planted in 1979 under the direction of Ohio University President Charles Ping and President Kazuo Yamada of Chubu University. Chubu gifted the cherry blossom trees to represent its relationship with Ohio University and later brought the grove’s total to 200 trees after another gift for the Ohio University’s bicentennial.

For additional information on the Cherry Trees, a slideshow of the blooming of the trees this spring, and updates on the lighting of the trees, please visit www.ohio.edu/cherryblossoms.

Photo courtesy of: University Communications and Marketing The Cherry Trees lit up in a previous year