Aloha everybody!  Yes, it’s that time again!  It is with great fanfare that we present to you…BLOWOUT BAZAAR 2007 – A FESTIVAL OF CULTURES!!!  Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end and this will be the LAST article calling all you wonderful friends and family to come join us for the memorable fellowship at the Sage Granada Park Bazaar.

It is with a sad heart that we are here to tell you that this June 2nd, the first Saturday in June, will be the LAST Bazaar in this era.  It will be the LAST time to catch up with people you haven’t seen in a year.  It will be the LAST time to eat our famous Udon.  It will be the LAST time to win a goldfish.  It will be the LAST time to be a part of the tradition.  After 52 years, the institution we have come to know and love as the Sage Granada Park Bazaar will come to a close.  Our members are finding it too difficult to put on this large event and sometimes even though the spirit is very willing, the body is not.  We know Bazaar is a wonderful time of fellowship and delicious ‘kau kau’ (food) and we wish this event could go on forever, but the time has come to hang up the tongs and put away the ‘hashis’ (chopsticks).

BUUUUT … even though we will not be able to celebrate our church and its heritage next year, Ryan and I are working tirelessly to make this year’s BLOWOUT BAZAAR 2007 the most wonderful event ever!  And we need every one of you to help!  We need you to get the word out to come and celebrate 52 years of wonderful food, fellowship and teamwork that has come to be known as our Sage Granada Park Bazaar.  Tell all those old members that haven’t been to our Bazaar in a while to come and participate in a wonderful celebration of fellowship!  Tell all your friends that not only will they be entertained by Chikara Daiko, Centenary UMC’s taiko group and many other wonderful performances, they will be filled up to their eyeballs with ‘ono’ (delicious) foods such as teriyaki, spam musubi, udon, tacos, egg rolls and samosas!  Tell all those co-workers that this year’s door prizes are really worth spending that measly $1 dollar!  Really, the odds are fantastic to win a prize … even if it is just a bag of rice!rizes are really huge!  First prize is $750.00, second prize is $500.00 and third prize is $250.00.  Now you can’t beat THAT for a dollar … literally!  Like always, advanced sales of our door prize tickets and donations comprise more than one-third of our total Bazaar fundraising efforts.  This is the one way every single person can participate in our Blowout Bazaar 2007.  Honestly, this is the most important way each and every one of you can help make this the biggest and best Bazaar in its 52-year history.  And remember, you can always tell your co-workers that sadly, you will not be asking them to buy door prize tickets for our Bazaar next year.

And to top it all off, all members and booth-working friends and family, old and new, will receive a fantastic commemorative silkscreened T-shirt celebrating our impressive 52-year history of the Bazaar.  Who would have imagined that in a small parking lot, a cakewalk, white elephant store and sushi table would grow into an annual 20+ booth extravaganza! The power of faith and fellowship truly is inspiring and amazing! 

While the fundraising part of the Bazaar is what we strive for, it is definitely not the reason we, personally, will miss the Bazaar.  We will miss the fellowship and genuine love we feel as we walk through the booths.  We will miss seeing those folks that we only get to see once a year.  We will miss how everyone pulls together and helps out on Bazaar day … from 82 year old Dave Nakamura to 5 year old Nelson Kitsuse.  So please, everyone, get the word out to your family, your friends, your co-workers and your club members to save the first Saturday of June, JUNE 2nd, to come help us celebrate the close of our wonderful Bazaar tradition with a bang … a BLOWOUT BAZAAR 2007 – A FESTIVAL OF CULTURES!!!

With everlasting love and gratitude,

Kris & Ryan Taniguchi

P.S. If anyone would like to share their memories or comments, please email us at ktaniguchi@kcmeli.com or rtaniguchi@cawalker.com.