| | This is the third year the Kingston Community Block Party was held at T.R. Gallo Waterfront Park in Kingston, Ulster County, hosted by the Reher Center for Immigrant Culture and History. This event is very unique in a way there is no commercial venders selling hotdogs and sugar candies, instead different culture groups present their ethnic food and items while folk dance and music are performed at the center stage.
Instead of the last year's Tanabata display, we had Origami table to entertain kids. Along with the Origami poster a display of origami-cranes with introduction of Japan & Origami was posted by the table. We also had tables for hand-made crafts brought by Keiko-san, antiques and chinas collection by Motoko-san and packaged snacks by Atsuko-san for a fund raising while our new member, Tomoko-san, joined first time and Miyake-san took photos. While we had Honda-san volunteered for Origami table this year, I planned to walk around to experience different food for lunch. But the Origami table became so busy that we ended up with sitting there almost the entire 4 hours dealing with enthusiastic kids and adults. If not for Keiko-san's help, we may have not been able to handle all those people visited our table. I have no idea how many people actually came but I assume that we had gotten a good impression because one of the organizers, Mr. Geoffrey Miller, later sent me email in which we are already invited to the next year's Block Party! Thank you, Geoff-san, for your generous and kind word about our presentation. It meant a lot to us.
The weather was sunny and very hot all day long, and we were therefore exhausted at the end. As a result, Atsuko-san the Treasurer insisted that we should buy a new tent for the next year's Block Party as well as for our other outdoor event. So I guess our sacrifice of sun burnt was worth after all... Thanks to Atchan and Honda-san who brought us a big lunch with lots of Onigiris and Futomakis. Just for that, I wouldn't mind coming back next year... Polly-san stopped by to check on us. She was the one who initially introduced us to this wonderful Block Party last year. Thank you, Polly! Please check the Reher Center's website and facebook where you would find the article about today's Block Party.
Project leader,
Midori Shinye | | 6月7日 Kingstonｺﾐｭﾆﾃｨﾌﾞﾛｯｸﾊﾟｰﾃｨ
UlsterｶｳﾝﾃｨKingstonのT.R. Gallo WaterfrontﾊﾟｰｸでReher移民文化･歴史ｾﾝﾀｰ主催のｺﾐｭﾆﾃｨﾌﾞﾛｯｸﾊﾟｰﾃｨ第3回目が行われました。このｲﾍﾞﾝﾄは大変ﾕﾆｰｸで、ﾎｯﾄﾄﾞｯｸﾞとか綿菓子を売っているｺﾏｰｼｬﾙﾍﾞﾝﾀﾞｰの代わりに地域の別々の移民ｸﾞﾙｰﾌﾟがそれぞれの民族料理とか物を提供する間民族ﾀﾞﾝｽとか音楽の演奏が行われます。
昨年の七夕の飾りつけの代わりに今年は折り紙デスクを設けて、ﾃｰﾌﾞﾙの横には折り紙のｻｲﾝと｢日本と折り紙｣と題した折鶴の飾りつけを出しました。その横には圭子さんが持ってきた手作りのクラフト・素子さんの骨董品と食器類のｺﾚｸｼｮﾝ・篤子さんのパックに入ったスナックとかを新ﾒﾝﾊﾞｰの知子さんも参加して資金作り用のﾃｰﾌﾞﾙを出しました。三宅さんは写真担当です。今年は本多さんが折り紙ﾃﾞｽｸのﾎﾞﾗﾝﾃｨｱをして下さったので、その間私は他のﾃﾝﾄを回ってﾗﾝﾁに何か美味しい物を買ってこようと期待していましたが、折り紙の方が異常に忙しくて結局4時間の間折り紙に熱中した大人や子供達の対応に費やす結果となりました。圭子さんが手伝って下さらなかったらおそらくあの人数を全部ﾊﾝﾄﾞﾙできなかったことでしょう。最終的に何名きたのか想像がつきませんが、後で企画担当のｼﾞｮﾌ・ミラーさんから連絡頂いてもうすでに来年度のﾌﾞﾛｯｸﾊﾟｰﾃｨにお誘いを受けたので間違いなく良い印象があったのだと思います。ｼﾞｮﾌさん、暖かい言葉を有難うございました。大変光栄に思います。
天候は一日中晴天気で大変暑かったので終わった頃にはさんざん疲れ果てましたが、結果、会計係の篤子さんがぜひ次回のﾌﾞﾛｯｸﾊﾟｰﾃｨと他の外でのｲﾍﾞﾝﾄにも使える用ﾃﾝﾄを買うべきだと言ってくれていますので日焼けをした苦労の甲斐があったようです。山盛りのおにぎりと太巻きを作って持ってきてくれた本多さんと篤子さんに感謝感激です。あれだけの為にでも来年また参加してもいいかなと思いました。ﾎﾟｰﾘｰさんが途中で様子を見に来てくれました。元々このすばらしいｲﾍﾞﾝﾄを紹介してくれたのは彼女です。有難う、ﾎﾟｰﾘｰ! Reherｾﾝﾀｰのｳｪｯﾌﾞｻｲﾄとﾌｪｲｽﾌﾞｯｸに今日のｲﾍﾞﾝﾄの記事が記載されていると思いますのでぜひ見てください。
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新江 緑 | |
