Korean Bell Garden Ground Breaking

The Korean Bell Garden project at Meadowlark Gardens is progressing ahead of schedule thanks to the great work of Jeung Hwa Elmejjad-Yi the Chair of the Korean American Cultural Committee (KACC). We now have the building permit in hand to build the pavilion that will hold the bell, and carpenters from Korea are coming soon to start carving raw wood into the pieces that will be used in this traditional pavilion.

This spring we planted over 100 trees native to Korea, put in stone terracing and steps, and a path through this area of the garden.

Earlier this week we had the ground breaking. One of the things that made this event even more meaningful was that this was the 60th anniversary of the Korean War. Many Korean War veterans attended as well as Mrs. Han the wife of the Korean Ambassador, Congressman Moran, State Senator Peterson, Fairfax Chair Sharon Bulova and Fairfax County Supervisors Penny Gross and Cathy Hudgins, and many others.

This will be the first Korean Bell Garden in North America. The pavilion is expected to be complete this fall and the bell should be on site by next spring.

In addition to be a place of great beauty, it will be a cultural icon for tens of thousands of Korean Americans in our area, and a tourist attraction for Northern Virginia.