The sky rumbled with thunder and rain followed shortly after the start of the 14th annual Bon-Odori dance festival, but it didn’t dampen people’s spirits who attended on Sunday, August 4 at Kingston Point Beach. The festival’s goal is to support the multicultural global effort to steer our age toward a nuclear-free/war-free future.
Founder and producer Youko Yamamoto welcomed the community, followed by Ubaka Hill and DrumSong Orchestra, a women’s drum performance, which opened the activities. During the rainy period, volunteer Chiaki Hara gathered the children under the pavilion to play suika-wari, a Japanese game of busting a watermelon with a stick while blindfolded. The children were rewarded when the watermelon broke open and slices were served. A panel discussion titled “A Nuclear-Free Future. How?” and Manna Jo Greene, Ulster County Legislator, presented a speech “Stop Nuclear”. Artists Barbara Bash and Asako Yamada gave a sumi and brush performance on the grass creating large banners that were the focal point of the festival. There were music and dance performances, a peace ceremony with prayers for the victims of atomic bombings and victims of nuclear meltdown disasters, raffles and food vendors throughout the day.
The Flame of Hope, a luminary service on the beach, closed the festival.
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