New Haven Independent

Sunday, Hughes Place drew a stream of bicyclists, dog-walkers and tourists stopping to snap photos of, and stare up in wonder at, the newly opened blossoms. Each spring, Yoshino Cherry Trees, with pink and white flowers, transform Wooster Square for a tiny window of time: 10 to 14 days, depending on weather, locals say. On Hughes Place, dense trees of the pink variety form a heavenly canopy. Motorists Sunday slowed down to stare.

“It’s probably the prettiest I’ve seen them look in a couple years,” said Bill Iovanne, who was born and raised in Wooster and now coordinates the annual Cherry Blossom Festival. Organizers try to time the festival, which celebrates the Italian neighborhood’s history, with the blossoms’ arrival. But “it’s pretty much luck.”

Iovanne thinks unless it rains, the blossoms will stay up through the festival Sunday: from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. in Wooster Square. The annual neighborhood festival attracts visitors from all over the state, he said. This year offers big band music, legendary italian food, and neighborhood memorabilia. For more info call 865-8961.