The 9th annual Irmo Cherry Blossom Festival honored these beautiful blossoms that embody the beauty, fragility and preciousness of life. This year’s festival was dedicated to the retiring Town of Irmo Public Works Director Whitt Cline for his 25+ years of service to the town.
Events began in the morning at the Irmo Town Administration Building parking lot with a Japanese Import Car Drive-In. Kyle Tolli was awarded first place for his 2002 Honda Civic Type R. Prizes were furnished by Japan Direct Motors, Moon Eyes Equipment Co., Savoy Automobile Museum, The Utah Salt Flats Racing Association, The Town of Irmo and The Irmo Cherry Blossom Festival. Additional gift bags of items brought straight from Japan were provided to the winners by Japan Direct Motors. The specially designed and created trophies were provided by Treasure Goblin Workshop. The trophies featured a blooming cherry blossom branch atop a “drift car.” Car show organizer J. Brian “Buck” Pearson commented, “This is always a fun event; it is interesting to see these vehicles collected here for this drive-in each year.”
A special performance of Japanese festival drumming was given by Taiko Charleston midday. These large traditional drums filled the park with rhythm and shouts, delighting young and old.
Later, there was a “cosplay” costume contest, featuring enthusiastic participants, many dressed as characters from Japanese cartoons, movies and video games. Treasure Goblin Workshop hosted this contest, and designed and fabricated the custom trophies. MomoCon in Atlanta provided four-day convention passes for the winners: Michael Yarbro took First Place for his original character, The Shogun, in an elaborate ensemble of golden samuri armor he hand-made over ten years, based on his research of historical examples.
Vendors included fine-art anime artist Magical Girl Rori, as well as other crafts-people supporting the theme of Japanese traditional an popular culture: artists selling 3D-printed Pokemon and popular kaiju creatures, an artisan who creates fabric orbs called kimekomi, another who makes traditional amigurumi crochet animals, and one who makes traditional purses often used while wearing kimono. Bonsai tree sculptures made of colorful wrapped wire were a popular item for sale. Anime and K-Pop/J-Pop art as well goods celebrating aspects of Japanese food culture, such as steamed buns, bobba tea, Japanese sodas, and teriyaki-marinated meats were available, as were foods such as matcha (green tea) and bean paste candy called wagashi served by The Apothecary Tea Service.
Food trucks serving hibachi, Filipino, Thai and Laos foods as well as other regional specialties did a brisk business. Attendees also could sample baked goods and flavored shaved ice which is popular in Japan. There was even a sweet pop-up “Maid Cafe” a staple of Japanese young-adults, where patrons were entertained with lively songs, games and dances while being served cookies and sweet beverages by themed actors in cute ruffled dresses.
Informational booths also educated attendees on topics such as Camellia growing, washi paper making, Japanese flower arranging and more. Members of the Japan America Association of SC hosted an informational booth where many show-and-tell items were on display, including artwork and everyday items from Japan.
Festival attendance was estimated to be around 3000, with many repeat visitors from years past. Over 40 booths and vendors offered a wide variety of experiences. Visitors from all over South and North Carolina came to the park expressing interest in learning and experiencing Japanese culture, history, food and art. Many attendees modeled traditional Japanese attire such as kimono, hakama, yukata, and haori and happi jackets.
A kimono-dressing demonstration was given by Anna Moore of Sea Lynx Kimono, dressing Master of Ceremonies Erica Glover of WLTX T in a beautiful sea foam green kimono with elaborate obi tied bow.
All of this and more took place under a spreading canopy of pale pink Japanese cherry blossoms. Peak bloom had been reached just a few days earlier. There was a delicate layer of petals carpeting the area beneath the trees, giving the appearance of snow to the area. As the winds gently gusted throughout the day, visitors were treated to a delightful phenomenon known as “sakura snow” where petals swirl down from the tree limbs like falling snowflakes. Sakura is the word for cherry blossom in Japanese.
Funding for the event was provided by Presenting Sponsor The Town of Irmo, Friendship Sponsor Renewal by Anderson of the Carolinas and The South Carolina Commission for Community Advancement and Engagement. Additional support from Japan America Association of SC, Liberty Tax of Irmo and volunteers from the Asian Pacific Islander Employee Resource Group (API ERG) at Dominion Energy.
Organizer Kimberly Oakley expressed satisfaction at the end of the day, “I’m overjoyed that so many people were able to gather together to celebrate art, beauty, and friendship; to learn about and experience a bit of Japanese culture. Next year, I anticipate the festival will grow sweeter and deeper with the continued and vital support from the community.
