For the seventeenth year, a team from Portland was invited to participate in the world famous Snow Festival (Yuki Matsuri) in Sapporo. Each year, citizen teams from around the world are invited to create a unique sculpture representing their home area. This year the Portland team created a work called "Desert Lullaby". A model of the sculpture appears to the right.

The citizen teams have a friendly competitive rivalry and the winners take great pride in their accomplishment. The Portland team has won in the past and we hoped for good resutls for this year's team.

Along with the Snow Carving team a group of 9 citizens will travel to Sapporo to view the Festival sculptures and the beautiful surrounding area. Their visit included homestays with local families, a cross-cultural experience that gives an unparalled view of life in another country and can result in the formation of lifelong friendships.

Our team did not win this year, but all who attended had a great time. We will have a delegation going again next year, so stay tuned for the opportunity to be a snow carver in 2009.