If You Go
• What: The Fort Vancouver Tapestry.
■ Where: Vancouver Community Library, 901 C. St., Columbia Room.
■ When: Sunday through July 12. (Library is closed Saturday for Independence Day.) Hours: Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
■ Tapestry Spotlight: 6 p.m. next Friday, stories behind the history depicted in the panels.
Joyo Fountain Dedication
The Vancouver City Council will dedicate the Joyo Fountain at 6:45 p.m. Monday at the south plaza of City Hall, honoring the 20-year relationship with the Japanese city. The Vancouver City Council officially approved a “sister city” relationship with Joyo in 1995, after Vancouver and Joyo Rotary clubs proposed the idea.
The public is invited to attend. The delegation includes a member of the Joyo City Council, representatives from the Joyo International Exchange Association, Rotarians, Soroptimists and community members.
As Clark County’s 108-foot-long history lesson unfolded, several Japanese women could track their own paths in the fabric.
If You Go
• What: The Fort Vancouver Tapestry.
? Where: Vancouver Community Library, 901 C. St., Columbia Room.
? When: Sunday through July 12. (Library is closed Saturday for Independence Day.) Hours: Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
? Tapestry Spotlight: 6 p.m. next Friday, stories behind the history depicted in the panels.
Their role? They helped create it.
The Fort Vancouver Tapestry went on display Friday at Vancouver Community Library, and the first group to see it was a sister-city delegation from Joyo, Japan. They are in Vancouver to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the relationship.
At a scene representing the Hudson’s Bay Company era, Fumiko Kitazawa, Keiko Toda and Michiko Unoue examined elements of the forest they had stitched years ago.
It is one of 77 panels that illustrate local inhabitants and happenings over the years, from indigenous people to 21st-century townsfolk enjoying a renovated Esther Short Park.
Above the park is a bluebird, pulling a banner that is embroidered with the word “George.” It’s a tribute to philanthropist George Propstra, who died as the tapestry project was just about finished.
People spending the day in Vancouver’s historic core won’t be able to see the tapestry Saturday; the library is closed for the Fourth of July holiday. The library will be open on Sunday and the tapestry will be on display through July 12.
The project started in 1999, under the leadership of Eleanor van de Water. She died in 2005, the year the tapestry was finished. It represents 100,000 hours of work by everyone involved, said Sherry Mowatt, artistic director.
Almost 60 Northwest stitchers participated, as well as 12 who came from Japan a couple of times. The contingent from Joyo also brought some coveted materials.
“Joyo is a manufacturing center for gold and silver thread,” tapestry volunteer Linda Caton said. The metallic threads were used in embroidered images of bells in the tower at Esther Short Park, as well as in fireworks that highlight another panel, Caton said.
Joyo Fountain Dedication
The Vancouver City Council will dedicate the Joyo Fountain at 6:45 p.m. Monday at the south plaza of City Hall, honoring the 20-year relationship with the Japanese city. The Vancouver City Council officially approved a "sister city" relationship with Joyo in 1995, after Vancouver and Joyo Rotary clubs proposed the idea.
The public is invited to attend. The delegation includes a member of the Joyo City Council, representatives from the Joyo International Exchange Association, Rotarians, Soroptimists and community members.
The Joyo delegation will be able to watch the real-life fireworks display when they attend Saturday’s Independence Day Celebration at Fort Vancouver; the visitors will be honored with a main-stage performance by the Portland Taiko drumming ensemble at 6 p.m.
Their tour schedule also includes Fort Vancouver, the Vancouver Farmer’s Market, Bethany Vineyard & Winery, Clark College, Westfield Vancouver mall and Multnomah Falls in Oregon.
