PDM to jumpstart holiday celebrations at Paseo

Several events and activities have been lined up at the Paseo de Marianas in Garapan by the non-profit group PDM Promoters, Inc. to jumpstart this year’s holiday celebration.

Sonia Siwa of PDM Promoters Inc. said the festivities will kick off on Wednesday, Nov. 30, when elementary schools participating in the 6th Christmas Tree Decoration contest will decorate their trees.

Sixteen public and private schools will be competing for the title of best decorated tree using recycled materials to promote recycling among the CNMI’s youth.

Another public school, the Gregorio T. Camacho Elementary School, signed up for the contest at the last minute.

Around 4pm on Thursday, Dec. 1, seven judges representing major sponsors, supporters, and government agencies will be invited to judge the 16 decorated Christmas trees based on the use of old or used materials, relevance to the holiday theme, attractiveness, creativity and design, and durability.

The judges are from Tan Siu Lin Foundation, NTT Docomo Saipan, DFS Galleria Saipan, Power 99, RNV Construction, Division of Environmental Quality, Department of Lands and Natural Resources, the Women’s Affairs Office, and the First Lady’s Vision Foundation.

Siwa said the same judges will also decide on the winning entries from Rota and Tinian elementary students for the “My Holiday Greetings To Our Visitors” contest.

On the same day, Siwa said there will be a lighting ceremony after sunset for the 30-foot Christmas tree in the middle of Paseo de Marianas.

Siwa said the giant Christmas tree, which is also built out of recycled materials and donated by RNV Construction, will be lit along with the 16 tree entries for the decoration contest.

The lighting ceremony, Siwa said, is immediately followed by a program arranged by the Garapan Street Market management under the Department of Community and Cultural Affairs. It will feature a performance from the Saipan Awaodori Team, among others.

The contest winners will be announced during a program that would feature more local performances on Dec. 15 starting at 5pm.

Two days after or on Dec. 17, Siwa said Paseo de Marianas will host for the first time the Paskong Pinoy organized by the United Filipino Organization with the support of the Tan Siu Lin Foundation.

Before the islands welcome another year, the 3rd Mochitsuki Festival will take place at 5:30pm on Dec. 29.

“There will be actual making of mocha, the Japanese rice cake, to welcome the New Year and everyone is invited to take part in the event,” added Siwa.

Siwa urged the community to support the scheduled events at the Paseo de Marianas to give the islands a much needed lift in these trying times.

For more information, call 234-6900.