I have lived in Federal Way for more than 20 years.

Whenever an out-of-town visitor comes to see me, the first place I take them to is the Pacific Rim Bonsai Collection.

The uniqueness of the collection has been enhanced by exhibits, demonstrations and pre-arranged guided tours with the collection’s director, David de Groot. To this day, people from Chester and London, England, Frankfurt, Germany, San Francisco, New York, Houston and Phoenix, Ariz., still speak of the bonsai collection as a highlight of their Pacific Northwest vacation.

I was saddened to learn that economic pressures made the April 2 closure of the bonsai collection a necessity. That closure is also a blow to local tourism revenue, since the collection is definitely a destination point for people from all over the world. But thanks to the cooperation of the City of Federal Way and the Weyerhaeuser Company, the collection will be open May 9 and 10 as part of the city’s Buds and Blooms Festival.

Make sure you visit this Federal Way gem on those days. And leave a note for Weyerhaeuser, asking them to reopen the collection as soon as possible.

H. David Kaplan, Federal Way