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Join a virtual tour of the many sites around Hot Springs where you can see gifts from Hanamaki or artwork celebrating the culture of our sister city. Featured guest will be Donna Casparian, the Secretary and longest serving board member of the Hot Springs National Park Sister City Foundation Board of Directors.
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The Hot Springs Cherry Blossom Festival Journey Through Japan was a wonderful success on the beautiful afternoon of Sunday, March 21. Over 800 tickets were reserved for the free event that celebrated Japanese culture and the arrival of spring. Attendees entered through a large tori gate built in partnership with Emergent Arts .The walking tour through Halls A, B and the Concourse of the Hot Springs Convention Center featured a series of seasonal projections on large screens as well as a live stream from Tokyo and an exhibit and video honoring the 10th Anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. A series of cultural exhibits featuring ikebana, bonsai, origami, traditional dress, Japanese toys, tea services, lacquer ware, 1000 paper cranes, manga, "cool" Japanese items, and Japanese economic impact to our state. In addition to the scores of volunteers, Japanese clubs from Arkansas Tech University and University of Central Arkansas shared origami and calligraphy with attendees.
Domo Arigatou to the many sponsors and partners who worked so hard to make the event available for all to attend free of charge. A silent auction was also held with proceeds from the auction, grants and sponsorships supporting the Hot Springs National Park Sister City Foundation Scholarship Fund that assists local students scheduled to travel to Hanamaki this summer. Sponsors included The Japan Foundation, Dilks Law Firm, Arvest Bank, 61 Celsius, Hot Springs Title and Representative Les Warren, Hill & Cox Corporation, Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts, and Lowe's.
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