Local Canadians, fans, and friends of Canada were out in force last Saturday (June 29) to celebrate Canada’s 152nd anniversary in Tenjin. Miraculously we were spared from rain which threatened the event. Instead, many of the 471 in attendance relaxed on the outdoor terrace while downstairs, JP (Jean-Pierre Villeneuve) held court and entertained the crowd as both MC and with his guitar and vocals. Thanks, JP – you aced it! Throughout the night guests tucked into Canadian beef & pork (thanks to S Foods Inc.) along with grilled salmon, tortilla wraps, ice cream & maple syrup and of course poutine. Not to mention tasty lobster tails too, courtesy of Nitto Shoji Ltd. And a special shout out to this year’s staff and volunteers who helped guests apply their “Fukuoka eh?” tattoos, buy logo t-shirts, and play ball hockey. On the 5th floor, Air Canada ran a booth in which guests could take a virtual tour of their aircraft using high tech goggles. Later in the evening, Air Canada’s Shoichiro Sasabuchi joined party host Nick Szasz (Fukuoka Now) to draw numbers for the grand prize of a pair of tickets to Canada on Air Canada. The winner was Riley Hillier of BC who said he’ll use the tickets on his next trip back home. Other lucky draw prizes included official Team Fukuoka Rugby World Cup shirts and a pair of tickets to the Isla de Salsa on Nokonoshima (8/31 & 9/1.) All in all, a fantastic time! Thanks to our sponsors, staff, volunteers and the venue – see you next year!
