A few weeks ago I was invited to attend the 30th Anniversary Gift Unveiling at Kariya Park along with the members of the MFA. Mayor Takenaka from Kariya and a few members of his council would be there in attendance. This would be his first visit to Mississauga after winning the re-election back in July.

By the time I got to Kariya Park that day there were already a lot of people waiting. The Mayor had been attending a luncheon held by the MFA executive members earlier in the day, so they were making their way over to the park. Staff members were busy setting up for the event. A makeshift stage was set up by the entrance to the park. By the time all the preparations were done, Mayor Takenaka had arrived. He was led to the front as the official ceremony began. Introductions were first given by the city manager, then individual speeches came next. As the speeches were underway, our Mayor showed up and quickly made her way over.

After the speeches were done, there were several gift presentations from our city to Kariya. This was followed by a cake cutting ceremony. Then we were all lead inside the park to get our first glimpse at the photo mosaic wall which was bought over from Kariya. The mosaic wall features an image of the Mando Festival, and is comprised of 7,000 smaller photos taken during the last 30 years of the twinning between Mississauga and Kariya.

After all the formal exchanges were done, everyone was able to enjoy a relaxing afternoon together in the park. What a perfect day for this event!