It was a beautiful way to kick off summer last Saturday with a community mural painting in Sister City Lane and an invitation to have lunch with friends and neighbors at San Carlos’s longest table – the longest San Carlos has ever seen.
Blossoms Mural Painting
The people of San Carlos obviously love to paint, and they love to paint together. Interestingly, this mural not only brings together the people in San Carlos, but also the people from San Carlos’s sister city in Japan – Omura.
Prior to the community mural event, the idea and the draft of the mural was designed in advance via a collaborative effort of two artists – one artist based in San Carlos, California, and one based in Omura, Japan.
Our artist from San Carlos is Yucali Seki, who has her studio in Art Bias. She specializes in calligraphy and canvas paintings pertaining to nature, culture, and the human form. She is also a Martial Artist – Wushu, to be specific.
Our artist from Japan is Calligrapher Mr. Housui Sato: born in 1981, he started learning calligraphy at 5 years old. He now teaches calligraphy classes, and is involved in various events in Kyushu such as handwriting performances and collaboration projects with other artists.
The mural painting was rightly named, “Blossoms: International Friendship Mural Painting” and was put together by the San Carlos Sister Cities Association. Cherry blossoms and iris flowers from Omura were placed alongside San Carlos’ coast live oaks and California poppies. Omura’s cherry blossoms, known for their abundant petals, symbolize grace and resilience, while the coast live oaks of San Carlos represent strength and endurance.
The mural also included iconic landmarks from both cities: Kushima Castle from Omura and the Drake Building from San Carlos. The mural project aims to bring everyone together to create a colorful piece of art that celebrates our friendship with Omura, Japan.
The Longest Table Community Event
After a morning of painting, everyone gathered at San Carlos’s “Longest Table” – a first-ever attempt for the community to fill the seats of a seemingly “endless long table” for an outdoor lunch gathering all in one long series of tables that reached the whole length of the parking lot.
DJs Aaron Ikezawa & Bryan Praditkul set the perfect vibe, and an Origami Activity led by the San Carlos Lions Club, added a fun, hands-on element to the day. Folding paper cranes with new friends was a cool experience.
Asian food trucks Saigon Street Food and the Chairman provided delicious take-out meals. All in all, lunchtime at the “Long Table” became a perfect time of enjoying great food, making new connections, and celebrating the diversity and unity of our town.
People who graced the event included Mayor John Dugan of San Carlos, Vice Mayor Sara McDowell, City Council member Ron Collins, Michael Campbell, President of the Community Foundation of San Carlos, along with Will Strohl and other Board Members of CF San Carlos.
Experience the True Spirit of San Carlos
Murals in San Carlos become beautiful memorials and tourist attractions that become part of the city’s identity, strengthening the bonds that make San Carlos a special place to live. The day was filled with laughter, conversation, and the warmth of human connection, making it a perfect representation of the vibrant and diverse community we have in the City of Good Living.
On behalf of the Community Foundation of San Carlos, we’d like to thank the sponsors for the event: among them United Rentals and Devils Canyon Brewery for the scissor lifts, Home Depot for the paint, and Fernando The Neat for priming up the wall before the painting event.
(By the way, we’re never too busy for your referrals. If you or anyone you know are looking to buy or sell a home in San Mateo or Santa Clara Counties, we’d love to help them. Give us a call today.)
What’s on In San Carlos?
See more events happening in San Carlos by checking our CALENDAR and our June Newsletter: What’s On in June: The Best Summer Activities in San Carlos
About the Author
Mark Martinho and Vivienne Kelvin are are among the best Realtors in San Carlos CA and the co-owners of Vabrato, a luxury real estate brokerage serving San Carlos CA in San Francisco’s Silicon Valley.
With over 30 years of combined experience in the real estate business and 95% of clients coming from referrals, Mark and Viv take great pride and joy in exceeding their client’s expectations. They achieve this by carefully listening to each client’s unique needs and then creating custom solutions to achieve those goals. Mark and Viv provide clients in San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties with quality and flexible professional real estate assistance.
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