VAN NUYS—After weeks of competitions, the 41st Annual Navasartian Games’ final weekend and the various events organized on its occasion will soon approach. This year’s games are proud to have State Assemblymember Katcho Achadjian and his wife, Araxie, as Honorary Presidents.
Bearing the slogan “We Are Artsakh,” the 41st Annual Navasartian Games are dedicated to Artsakh and will include the participation of thousands of athletes. As a means to celebrate the accomplishments associated with the Navasartian Games, the Victory Banquet will be held this year on Saturday, June 25, 2016 at the Universal Hilton Hotel.
The four-day festival is set to begin on Thursday, June 30, 2016 at 4 p.m. The festival will bear the participation of talented artists, who are well-known to create a lively and festive atmosphere on the grounds of Birmingham High School, where the festival will take place. The opening and closing days of the festival will include fireworks, which are a great attraction for attendees each year.
Once again, participating Homenetmen chapters will have various food booths throughout the festival grounds. Support of these booths helps generate funds for the chapters to contribute to their scouting and athletic divisions.
Numerous booths will also be on-site selling items to the public, including jewelry, accessories, and Armenian cultural items to name a few. Sardarabad Bookstore, the Armenian Youth Federation, Armenian National Committee, Armenian Relief Society, and the ACF “With Artsakh” campaign are among the various organizations that will also all have designated booths.
Homenetmen is proud to announce that, this year, the Regional Executive has created a youth division, which will have its own booth conducting outreach to the community. Naturally, given the integral role that scouting plays within the organization, the scouting division will also have a special designated area.
A creative corner for kids is a main attraction for children year after year and gives them the opportunity to make crafts, paint, and keep these items as souvenirs.
As a novelty this year, an animal rights protection group, HABIT, which helps protect and care for abandoned animals, will have a booth of its own. “We anticipate that this booth will create great interest among children and animal-lovers. They will also offer the opportunity to adopt animals after certain criteria are met, of course. Adopted pets will be given to those who seek to adopt on the last day of Navasartian,” explained Sako Garabedian. He also informed that the festival will be live streaming on PanArmenian TV.
Between artistic programs, the public will become better informed about Homenetmen by viewing various videos, which will display the Homenetmen mission, as well as informative material on the organization’s programs and activities.
The complex work associated with organizing the four-day festival is entrusted to the following Homenetmen members, who are tirelessly working to ensure its success. They include:
- Vahe Ohanesian, Chairperson
- Sossy Guekguezian
- Souzy Ohanian
- Vartan Kouyoumjian
- Lena Arabian
- Richard Zaharian
- Souren Avedian
- Ani Hamboian
The Navasartian closing ceremony will be held on Sunday, July 3, 2016 starting at 6:30 p.m. on the field of Birmingham High School. The closing ceremony will include the participation of the Homenetmen marching band and spectators will witness the march of the organization’s 17 chapters, alongside the newly established Homenetmen Sacramento “Lori” athletic entity and Homenetmen Sydney, Australia “Ararat” Chapter’s A Division basketball team. The much-anticipated closing ceremony will also include the distribution of trophies to victorious teams across various sports and divisions.
The closing ceremony will conclude with a guest singer, accompanied with fireworks. Following the ceremony, the festival will continue on the grounds of Birmingham High School while the men’s and women’s championship games are held in the main gym with an entrance fee of $5 per person.
Homenetmen anticipates the encouraging presence of a large turnout of attendees throughout the 41st Annual Navasartian Games four-day festival and finals weekend from June 30-July 3, 2016.
Source: Asbarez
Link: Gearing Up for Navasartian’s Finals & Festival Weekend