Swarms of children ran across the playground, filling the atmosphere with their contagious laughter. Groups of families sat on the benches, peacefully relishing in their surroundings. Music cut through the air, spreading cheer and joy amongst the aud

ience.

Evidently, the Cherry Blossom Festival was in full swing. An annual event held on April 28 and 29 at the Memorial Park, the festival fosters positive intracultural relationships between Japan and the United States. For students at MVHS, it serves an additional purpose — allowing club members to showcase their music and collect donations.

For this reason, from 10 a.m. in the morning to 2 p.m. in the afternoon, freshmen Cheryl Leung and Conner Yin could be seen playing their respective instruments at the festival. As members of the Tri-M Music Honor Society, they came to the festival in order to promote their club’s activities and introduce music to different individuals.

To do this, they held a music trivia game, where participants paid 50 cents to guess the song being played. The donations will be used to sustain the club’s activities throughout the year.

This, and the fact that she could enjoy the day with her friends, made the Cherry Blossom Festival all the more memorable for Leung.

“It was pretty chill,” Leung said. “We just played random music and had fun together. I’ll definitely do it again.”

As for Yin, he enjoyed interacting with all the different people that came to the stall. The little children that ran up to the booth were especially memorable to him.

“Talking to the little kids was so fun,” Leung said. “They’re all just really cute.”

Both Leung and Yin agree that the experiences they gained from attending the Cherry Blossom Festival brightened their day. They say that they’ll likely participate in the event next year as well.

“It was a really great experience,” Yin said. “For one, you get to hang out with your friends and enjoy the Cherry Blossom festival. And you also get to play your musical instrument. What’s better than that?”