My first experience with the Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival (NCCBF) was back in 2015. I started as a general volunteer, signing up to help with anything the festival needed. Being 21+ I was assigned to the Beer Garden, assisting with ID checks and ensuring alcohol did not leave the designated drinking zones. While volunteering, I got to know some of the Beer Garden Committee. They always enjoyed volunteering and were able to get everyone to have a good time. By the end of the festival, committee members and volunteers had shared with me their first experiences with the NCCBF, some from a few years prior to over a decade before. Hearing their stories, experiencing their passion for the NCCBF and seeing the enjoyment they bring to the community, I knew I wanted to come back and volunteer with them again. Flash forward to NCCBF 2016. In a year’s time, I had begun working at a bar. Returning to volunteer with the Beer Garden Committee, I felt right at home serving up beer, swapping kegs, and maintaining the equipment.
I'm not Japanese, but I am interested in Japanese culture. Personally, the closest ties I have to the culture are my father's roots back to Oahu (which is a stretch for me to claim as my own, not to mention those roots are more so in Hawaiian culture than Japanese). However, if there's one thing I know, when the Beer Garden Committee is together at the festival, I experience the same Aloha as I would with my family or when back on the islands. Working with the Beer Garden Committee, no matter how the day plays out: if there aren't enough volunteers, if we start running low on supplies, or if I mistap the keg and get soaked in Sapporo, we take each moment together, support one another, and enjoy every moment of it. Volunteering the NCCBF on the Beer Garden Committee is something I look forward to annually, from the morning festival setup up, to the serving of Sapporo in the day, through the festival break down and sharing a meal together at night. I will continue looking forward to the day we can celebrate again in person, until then Kanpai.
