The Dragon's Head Blog: Signature events for 40th anniversary
When the traditional red envelope was presented to Fung Loy Kok Institute of Taoism president Marsha Eberhardt at the end of the national program in Kingston on June 11, it capped 10 days of intense activity that gave most Kingstonians a taste of Taoist Tai Chi™ arts. Celebrating the 40th anniversary of the branch, participants organized 40 demos in a one-week period (the actual count was 48); held a banquet attended by the current mayor, the mayor when the branch started, and the mayor when the branch’s Montreal St building was opened; and enjoyed a rich, expansive two-day program with friends from other branches.
The program drew 103 participants, a record for the annual event, from as far away as Belgium and Spain, but primarily from Ottawa, Peterborough, Orangeville, Guelph, Toronto, and, of course, the host branch, Kingston. It was held in Cooke’s-Portsmouth Church, historic in its own way since it was the first time the branch had used that facility since a program instructed by Master Moy in his last year.
The anniversary celebrations started on January 1 with tai chi and a 40-dessert potluck. There was a Taoist Arts Day at the Perth location, as a group of locations from the northern part of the branch showed different sets and made chanting available. And there will be more signature events over the year. But the program, banquet and highly visible memories in June served as a wonderful centerpiece for the year.