Kumoricon will be hosting a table at Mochitsuki, a Japanese American New Years celebration and cultural fair on Saturday, January 17, 11:00am to 3:00pm, at the PCC Sylvania Campus.

This festival features taiko drumming, mochi (Japanese sticky rice cake) creating, folk dance, storytelling, Japanese food specialties, calligraphy demonstrations, and a cultural fair featuring organizations like Kumoricon with hands-on crafts and activities.

Stop by our table to pre-register for the con or participate in cosplay crafts including cat-ear making.

In addition to the cultural fair, Mochitsuki features stage performance shows at 1:00pm and 3:15pm. Tickets are $12 for adults, $9 for students and seniors (age 62 and up), and $5 for children age 3 to 11. Children age 2 and under are free. The deadline to purchase tickets directly from Kumoricon has passed. However, you can purchase tickets online from Mochitsuki directly for a small service charge. Also, most likely tickets will be available on the day of the cultural fair, or if not, Kumoricon has a few extra tickets which may be available at its table.

We’re looking for volunteers to help setup the table, handle registrations, and create crafts and activities for the booth. If you are interested, please post in this forum thread or contact publicity@kumoricon.org.

Mochitsuki has had an attendance of over 2500 and this year will be its 13th year. Kumoricon returns to the festival after a very successful event last year.

For full details, including activity descriptions, background, and a map and address to the location, please see the Mochitsuki 2009 calendar entry.