KA-N-PA-I to all the volunteers!
Huge congratulations to the Omatsuri committee!
2016 and all the volunteers who joined forces to make the Omatsuri 2016 such a remarkable success. It was an amazing festival the weather was perfect, the venue was great and it was truly an exciting event. The stage entertainment and cultural demonstrations were well run. The martial art and blacksmith demonstrations were surrounded by a large crowd all day. The vendor tables were well attended, the foods were excellent, the admission and the food ticket sale were well managed. The beer garden was very popular and the kid’s corner was a full of children. Despite a sudden unexpected change of venue in mid April, the committee overcame many obstacles with creative ideas and enthusiasm to work with this new venue. The result was a huge increase in attendance over that of last year.
I can’t name all 400 plus volunteers here but please know that your volunteer spirits were truly appreciated. Many of you worked double shifts. Some of you were in the hot sun and the heated grills all day. Every task that you performed was very important and lead to the success of the Omatsuri. It also was so great to see the members from CJCA, NJCA, Kotobuki, Kaede, the Calgary Buddhist Temple, Calgary Gospel Church, Consul-General of Japan in Calgary, JETAA (JET Programme Alumni Association), GPI Osaka Boys and many others working together, side by side on this day for the common goals.
The City of Calgary, a building inspector, a food inspector and a fire department all inspected us and provided useful suggestions and positive nods for our operations. The Max Bell Centre management and staff were always ready to give us helping hands whenever we needed them. We also received increased sponsorship’s from the business community this year. We received cash and various in kind donations and we appreciated each and every one of the generous donations. They go a long way in making ends meet. Before long, the committee will start planning for the Omatsuri 2017.
Mark August 12, 2017 on your calendar. There are still many areas that need improvements. Please lend hands and volunteer, for together, we can make the Omatsuri 2017 another successful event for this community of ours. We are looking forward to working with you again soon!
Video Created by: Ryan Logan