Clark College celebrated its annual Sakura Festival on April 20. Rain and cool temperatures moved the community event from underneath a canopy of cherry blossoms to inside Gaiser Student Center. The event was presented by Clark College, the city of Vancouver and Vancouver Rotary.

Clark’s Sakura Festival honors the historic ties of friendship between the sister-cities of Vancouver, Washington and Joyo, Japan. Sakura, or cherry blossoms, are the national flower of Japan. Sakura represents a time of renewal and optimism.  

Clark College President, Dr. Karin Edwards welcomed the community and shared highlights from a trip representing the college in a delegation that visited Kyoto and Tokyo, Japan in March.  

Vancouver Mayor Anne McEnery-Ogle shared the history of the college’s grove of cherry trees and read a letter from Mayor Toshiharu Okuda of the City of Joyo, Vancouver’s sister city. Consul General Yuzo Yoshioka, representing the Japanese consul in Portland, explained that the arrival of the first cherry blossoms in Japan is a big story in Japanese media.  

The entertainment opened with a koto performance by Shigemi Getter, dressed in a traditional kimono, and followed later by Clark College Treble Ensemble under the direction of Jake Funk performed “Sakura” and “Travelin’ Train.” The college’s Japanese Club presented a kimono fashion show. Camas Kendo Dojo demonstrated kendo, a modern Japanese martial art using bamboo swords and protective armor. Portland Shishimai Kai performed the traditional celebratory lion dance of Tokyo, the Edo Kotobuki Jishi.  

A variety of other offerings included early childhood education student art showcase, exhibits including ikebana (Japanese flower arranging) demonstration by Miwa Satoh of Ohara School of Ikebana, a tea ceremony, lessons on using chopsticks to pick up a grain of rice and more. Refreshments of tea and cookies intricately decorated with Sakura blossoms were provided by the college’s Professional Baking & Pastry Arts students.

Some braved the rain to visit the grove of blossoming cherry trees in the Royce Pollard Japanese Friendship Garden at the southwest corner of campus.

PenguinsGive at Sakura Festival

PenguinsGive, Clark College Foundation’s 24-hour fundraising event also was on April 20. At the Foundation’s table at Sakura, members of the O Squad, Clark’s employee giving committee, visited faculty and staff about contributing $90 to support Clark students in celebration of the college’s 90^th anniversary. The Foundation offered free coffee and smoothies at the IQ Credit Union coffee cart.

History of Clark College Sakura Festival

Over 30 years ago, the City of Vancouver received a gift of friendship: 100 Shirofugen cherry trees. They were planted at Clark College, creating an enduring reminder of the bonds between our region and Japan. Over the years, additional cherry trees were added to the college’s Royce Pollard Friendship Garden, including 200 trees gifted by SEH America were planted campus wide. The trees have grown and blossomed—as has that friendship, creating traditions like establishing a sister-city relationship between Vancouver and Joyo, Japan, in 1995 and our annual Sakura Festival in 2006.

Learn more about the history of the Sakura Festival.

View more photographs from the event on our Flickr page.

Photos: Clark College/Jenny Shadley

More than 100 Vietnam War veterans, families and supporters gathered at Clark College on March 29 to dedicate a Witness Tree commemorating the 50^th anniversary of the end of U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War.  

Hosted by the Community Military Appreciation Committee, the event began with a panel of speakers, including Vietnam veterans and advocates who spoke about the realities of war.

Col. Mike Burton, USAF (ret) said, “Many Vietnam vets are still carrying the scars, both mental and physical. When they came back, nobody talked about it. Nobody wanted to talk about it.”

Then the crowd walked outside along a sidewalk lined with veterans holding American and military flags and stopped at the base of a majestic Turkish black fir to dedicate the tree.

Clark College Board of Trustees Chair Paul Speer told the crowd that selecting the campus as the site of the Vietnam War Witness Tree “recognizes the important role that Clark College has played for generations of veterans and their families whether in supporting their educational goals or their struggle with the physical and emotional scars that have been inflicted upon them. Whether in the classroom, at the Veteran’s Resource Center, or in the community, Clark has provided a beacon of hope, opportunity, and transformation for 90 years and will continue to do so for at least the next 90.”

Vietnam veterans’ connection to Clark College

Many Vietnam veterans attended the event, and many had Clark College connections. Luis Munoz served in the US Navy aboard the USS Canberra from 1960 to 1964. When he returned home to Vancouver, he took mechanical engineering classes at Clark. Munoz’s career included working in the missile program at Lockheed.

Larry Lewton served in the US Navy aboard the USS Kittyhawk. After his military service, he took photography classes at Clark College, had a career as a medical photographer and worked at OHSU in Portland.

Vancouver Mayor Anne McEnerny-Ogle told the crowd that President Barack Obama proclaimed March 29 as Vietnam Veterans Day in 2012. The day is meant to be observed with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities that commemorate the 50-year anniversary of when the last U.S. combat troops departed Vietnam of March 29, 1973.

McEnerny-Ogle said, “In Vancouver we prioritize honoring all veterans and their families for the sacrifice and their service for this country. Let’s remind all who were in that conflict that they are still respected, still honored 50 years later.”

Photographs: Clark College/Susan Parrish