A big MAHALO to all volunteers who helped make our Obon Festival a great success! It was a beautiful event with colorful kimonos and pop-ups, lively taiko performance and kendo demonstrations, delicious food, delicate ikebana creations, and of course, the enjoyable Obon Odori. The 500 attendees seemed to all have had a good time. However, there’s still room for improvement so we will work to put forth a better Festival in 2026.

Last year, we started a fundraising campaign for a new temple roof and have collected $17,500 toward a goal of $100,000. These funds have been earmarked for the roof, but that project will have to be delayed to undertake more pressing capital improvement projects: termite treatment of the entire temple and selective repairing of damaged areas; and asphalt overlay of the driveway next to the temple which was eroded during a mudslide two years ago. Besides the overlay, we will slurry seal the back parking lot and the upper parking lot. Both capital improvement projects will be done this fall.

As I mentioned in my last article, we need to start planning for our 100th Year Anniversary coming up in February 2027. The church was incorporated on February 3, 1927. This centennial celebration is a significant milestone, so we need volunteer commit-tee members to plan this event. Please contact me if you would like to help plan this auspicious celebration.

Two more events will be occurring in the very near future: our Annual Rummage Sale on August 29th and 30th and a Strawberry Social in October. The Strawberry Social is our way of saying “THANK YOU” to all volunteers who helped with our fundraisers and other activities throughout the year. We will be having a “backyard BBQ” of ham-burgers, hot dogs and salads. We can then we can RELAX a bit. Besides our Sunday Dharma services, our activities are crucial to making our temple a place where people can bond and create lasting friendships. It is reminiscent of the culture created by our 1st generation immigrants who came to the area and established the church 98 years ago. Let’s keep their efforts going as we approach our 100th Year Anniversary – listening to the Dharma while making the temple a spiritual and social part of our lives.

Gassho,
Gary Hongo