What does the National Cherry Blossom Festival and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office have in common?
Answer: They both would be affected by the federal government shutting down.
However, both would be partly operational. As reported here, the Cherry Blossom Festival parade would go ahead as scheduled but would avoid federal property (not easy to do in Washington DC). Meanwhile, the Patent Office has issued the following press release, noting that it would be open as usual for six business days, then non-essential employees would be sent home. According to the press release, the Electronic Filing System (EFS) would be operation during a shut down.