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Kite Day Celebrated Children's Day In Japan

The annual Kite Day event, in celebration of Children's Day in Japan, was held on Saturday, May 2nd at Valley View Play Fields, 90th St. and Portland Ave. in Bloomington. This day featured live entertainment, food, kites, and a festive atmosphere. Participants brought their own kites or receive a free one at the event. Over 500 kites were given away. Prizes were award for most creative, original, and Japanese style kites. To go to the Sun Newspapers pictures of this event, click here. Also go to our Photo Gallery to see additional pictures of the event.

Taste of Japan Annual Dinner and Fundraiser Saturday March 7, 2009

2009 Taste of Japan held on March 7th was attended by 116 guests and 18 volunteers who helped to make it a great success.  The evening began with saxophone and keyboard duet CODA, and a silent auction filled with many great items.  The dinner program was emceed by Doug Langefels, BSCO Vice President who presented the following organizations and individuals with awards for their contributions to Bloomington Sister City.
Spirit Award – Eric and Joan Berg
Star Supporter Award – Hilton Minneapolis/Bloomington
Star Supporter Award – Old Vine Wine & Spirits

It was then time for some fun and games.  BSCO board member Pat Peterson led 3 rounds of Heads or Tails with the following individuals winning prizes;

Karen Fiedler – 160 piece tool kit
Maddie Van Cleve - $30 Osaka gift certificate
Satomi Enberg - $100 Kincaid gift certificate

A delicious Japanese bento box dinner from Fuji Ya restaurant was served along with Japanese Saki and Plum Wine provided by Old Vine Wine & Spirits.  Comedian and Magician Bob Kubota entertained guests during dinner which was then followed by the raffle drawing for a Sony Vaio laptop won by Ed Curtiss with additional consolation prizes going to Jeff Kontos ($25 Majors gift certificate) and Jo Engel ($25 Papa Murphy’s gift card)  Our Cookie Jar Guessing Game winner was Dan Royer who took home 320 Japanese chocolate mud-pie cookies!

It was a great evening of Japanese fun and festivities.  Please join us next year on Saturday, March 6, 2010.

Senshu Marathon Representatives

Update: Marathon Runners Return

The two BSCO sponsored marathon runners, Michael Olson and Ashley Anklam have returned from a successful race. Olson completed the race with a fast time of 2:59:43 and came in 47th in the Men’s Division. Anklam ran an impressive 3:24:23 and placed 5th in the Women’s Division. Olson and Anklam share details of their stay in Izumi in the April-June 2009 issue of the Sister City News. To view the newsletter click here.

Delegation visits Kiyomizy-dera temple

Photo courtesy of Yoshida Kyoko.

Twelve high school and college students along with two chaperones have traveled to Izumi, Japan as part of the BSCO sponsored 2008 Student Delegation Exchange Program. The delegation visited Izumi June 15 – 28. (Click to see delegate brochure.)
Bloomington’s sister city, Izumi City, had a busy and exciting itinerary (click to see itinerary) for the students including visits to schools; tours of Kuboso Memorial Museum and the Sakai Hamono Museum; travel to Kyoto, Nara and Namba; visits to Satake Glass Corporation and other interesting sites. The delegates stayed with host families in the evenings and on the weekend.
The delegation was chaperoned by BSCO President and Jefferson High School Principal Steve Hill and his wife, Tracey. Students represent Jefferson High School, Normandale Community College, Metropolitan State University and the University of Minnesota. BSCO thanks Izumi City and the gracious host families for their time and commitment to the Student Exchange Program. Adam DeGonda gave us permission to setup a link to his student delegation photos. Go to http: gallery.mac.com/awdegonda to see these pictures.

About this Web site

This site exists to celebrate the Sister City relationship between Bloomington, Minnesota, USA, and Izumi City, Osaka Prefecture, Japan. We hope we can provide visitors and BSCO members alike with useful information about the Sister City relationship.On this website, you can:

• Catch up on the latest Bloomington-Izumi Sister City news.
• Learn about upcoming events and annual events.
• Learn about the history of our relationship.
• Find out how to join BSCO, and learn about our current members.
• Find links to related websites.

Help us to improve this site

Please enjoy the site, and be sure to send your feedback and ideas about site content and functionality to sistercity@ci.bloomington.mn.us.