By Mona Raskin

The 9.0 Earthquake and Tsunami has left the island of Japan reeling in tears of despair and helplessness!  Their recovery will obviously be a very slow and painful one.

Yet, here at home, we should be trying to find a way to alleviate some of the misery from this horrific event. On April 16^th & 17^th will be the annual “Cherry Blossom Festival” It will take place at the same location, Barnes Park! This event has always been a favorite of mine! Hopefully, many of our residents will be able to join us especially at this time to chateau gonflable transmit a little empathy and concern for our Japanese community! They do need much cheering up now!

They say “April Showers bring May flowers” Well we sure hope so. In fact, the rainy weather has hopefully subsided and we will now be able to truly enjoy a fantastic “Cherry Blossom Festival”.

A brief schedule of events include entertainment, game zone, crafts and a variety of foods!

Official Program

1. Traditional Japanese dance groups
2. Hawaii/ Polynesian dance groups
3. Various Paiko & Taiko groups
4. Traditional Brush Art
5. Japanese Tea Ceremony
6. Origami & Ikebana Demonstrations

The above menu may be hard to fulfill in one afternoon but it surely will be a worthwhile way to absorb as much as possible while you will be learning about a very interesting and unique culture!