SISTER CITY DINNER

Xicheng, Beijing, China

Pasadena Senior Center

Thursday, February 16, 2005

Michael Durand of Durand Productions and Wendy Anderson of WOW Productions, two special event producers and Pasadena neighbors, collaborated to organize and co-host a dinner for visiting dignitaries from Pasadena's Sister City, Xicheng, Beijing, China. The Pasadena Senior Center kindly donated the use of their lovely facility for the special event on Thursday, February 16, 2006. Michael Durand also played background piano music for the guests during dinner.

Many thanks to the sponsoring Pasadena restaurants

contributing food for our guests:

Bar Celona

46 East Colorado Boulevard

Fortune Chinese Cuisine

60 North Raymond Street

Fu Ching Restaurant

2960 East Colorado Boulevard

Spring Garden

187 North Sierra Madre Boulevard

Yujean Kang's

67 North Raymond Street

Photography by Jerram Swartz

Special thanks to:

Bill Bogaard

Alan Lamson

Brad Macneil

Courtyard by Marriott

Rose City Flowers

Cynthia Rosedale

Jerram Swartz

Cathy Wei

Extra-special thanks to:

Wendy Anderson

WOW PRODUCTIONS

wowproductions2@earthlink.net

producer of the annual

Cherry Blossom Festival, Pasadena

April 1st & 2nd, 2006 - The Rose Bowl

www.pasadenacherryblossom.org

SPONSORSHIPS-UNDERWRITING-BOOTHS-PRIZE DONATION-VOLUNTEERS
626-683-8243

Wendy is a native of Pasadena and is a Commissioner on the Pasadena Commission on the Status of Women - District 2

some other connections...

http://www.eastwestplayers.org/

http://www.eventswithatwist.com/

http://www.kellyesart.com/

WOW! Event Productions & Public Relations

686 S. Arroyo Parkway, #221, Pasadena, CA 91105

626-683-8243 Fax: 626-405-8809

Pasadena Sister Cities

e-mail from Michael Durand

Thursday night, February 16, 2006

Tonight's dinner was GREAT!

THANK YOU TO:

Mayor Bill Bogaard for inviting Destination Pasadena to become involved with the Sister City activities,

Alan Lamson, Chairman of the China Sub-Committee of Pasadena Sister Cities for being so gracious and pleasant to work with,

Cathy Wei for her outstanding interpretation and communication skills as well as her bright and outgoing personality,

Wendy Anderson of WOW PRODUCTIONS for her unceasingly cheerful and helpful attitude, for helping with requesting food donations, for working to make the room look so great and for adeptly handling so many of the important details (from pre-planning to set-up to clean-up).

Brad Macneil for the legwork involved in picking up food from three donor restaurants, for sharing a bit of his encyclopedic knowledge of local history with our curious visitors and for staying around to help to clean up.

Jerram Swartz for making several runs to local restaurants to pick up more food, for taking photographs, for smiling a lot and for also helping to clean up.

Special thanks to Cynthia Rosedale and the Pasadena Senior Center for providing the beautiful lounge for our event. It was very comfortable: perfect for our size group. (Nice to have a piano, too!). Thanks also go to Raul and Ricardo at the Senior Center who put so much work into getting the lounge ready for us by moving furniture out and tables and chairs in. Then they needed to get the tables and chairs out and move the furniture back in again. Thank you!

I will be sending a personal letter to each of the participating restaurants thanking them for their contribution.

Final thanks go to our Sister City friends from Xicheng. They are a delightful group of people and it's a great pleasure to have the opportunity offer hospitality to help them feel welcome in our city. What a lucky coincidence that our guests got to meet the coach of the Senior Center's Table Tennis league - who not only competed in the Olympics, but is from the same region of Beijing!

Thanks again to each and every one of you (and those unmentioned) who helped make tonight's event a success.

With Great Appreciation,

Michael Durand

e-mail from Pasadena Mayor Bill Bogaard

Friday, February 17, 2006

Dear Michael: What a great contribution you made to the Pasadena experience of our friends from Beijing with this most enjoyable evening. You are gracious to thank others involved, but this was your event and it turned out to be memorable. I'm sorry I was not able to be a part of the entire event. I also want to join you in thanking everyone involved in putting it together. Michael, you went way beyond any reasonable expectation and your associates contributed generously! Pasadena is a great City because of people like you. BILL

e-mail from Alan Lamson, Chairman of the China Sub-Committee, Pasadena Sister Cities

Friday, February 17, 2006

Dear Michael: Many thanks from me, from Sister Cities, and from our Beijing guests
for your thoughtfulness in providing a delicious meal at the lovely
senior center and for entertaining our guests as well. I can't
thank you enough. My thanks also go to the many others who
contributed to the success of the event. Best Wishes. Alan.

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