9th Annual Lunar New Year Celebration
PHOTO CAPTION: Council Member Dromm (left, holding pole), State Senator Toby Ann Stavisky (center, holding pole), Coalition for Asian American Children and Families Co-Executive Director Vanessa Leung (right of Stavisky) and other attendees feed cabbage to lion dancers at Dromm's 9th annual Lunar New Year Celebration in Elmhurst, Queens.
Elmhurst, NY – This past weekend NYC Council Member Daniel Dromm, NY State Senator Toby Ann Stavisky and hundreds of local community residents ushered in the Year of the Pig at the 9th Annual Lunar New Year celebration at St. James' Episcopal Church, Elmhurst. The event featured a Drag Queen Story Hour reading by RuPaul's Drag Race Season 10 star Yuhua Hamasaki, Chinese calligraphy demonstrations, traditional Korean drumming, traditional Chinese dance, traditional Vietnamese music, song and dance numbers by students from PS 7 and PS 13, free face paintings and lion dancing. It also included a resource fair with representation from dozens of local civic groups, social service providers, and city agencies.
This year, Dromm presented an official NYC Council proclamation of honor to City Mission President Lester Lin for his years of service to Elmhurst's neediest residents, including those living at the Boulevard Family Residence shelter on Queens Boulevard.
"I was thrilled to host my annual Elmhurst Lunar New Year celebration for the 9th year in a row," said NYC Council Member Daniel Dromm (D-Elmhurst, Jackson Heights). "This year's event was the biggest and most robust to date. For Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese people around the world, Lunar New Year is one of the most important holidays of the year. It is a special time for friends and family. As a Council Member representing one of the largest and most diverse Asian American communities in the city, I am pleased to have founded this event that allows us to usher in the new year together as one neighborhood."
Dromm first established the event in 2011 to create an opportunity for the Asian American communities of Elmhurst to increase their visibility and celebrate their cultural pride while sowing the seeds for future organizing. The Elmhurst celebration has steadily grown over the years and is now among the neighborhood’s most highly anticipated events.
This year's celebration was co-sponsored by Asian Community United Society, Coalition for Asian American Children and Families, EmblemHealth, Maspeth Federal Savings Bank, MetroPlus, St. James' Episcopal Church, Queens Library and Queens Museum.
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