A Chinese New Year celebration hosted by the Asian American Community Alliance of Orange County drew a large crowd to Mulberry House Senior Center in Middletown on Feb. 25.
Stage performances at the event featured classical, folk, and ethnic Chinese dances, along with a traditional costume show, a martial arts demonstration, and Chinese New Year songs.
Longtime Middletown residents Angel and Alicia Justiniano, who found out about the celebration from a flyer they saw at the YMCA, attended the event and said they enjoyed the cultural performances on stage.
“I loved it—it is inspiring and calming,” Alicia told The Epoch Times. “I felt really good about the aura.”
An interactive lion and dragon dance drew several rounds of applause from the audience.
Asian American Community Alliance President Janet Xiong told The Epoch Times that she hoped the celebration—the first cultural event hosted by the organization—would facilitate cultural exchange and mutual understanding between the local Asian population and the larger Middletown community.
Outside the senior center, Asian-style street food vendors lined the parking lot next to a church.
Middletown resident Silvia Gonzalez and her two daughters, Adamaris and Aideliz Guaillas, heard about the event from Facebook and decided to try out the Chinese barbecue.
“We like to learn about different cultures,” Aideliz told The Epoch Times.
Middletown Mayor Joseph DeStefano attended the celebrations and noted the growing Asian community and its cultural and economic contributions to the Middletown area.
“We welcome the impact that you have had on our community, not only in the City of Middletown but in Orange County, and the investments and economic developments that come with it,” he said.
Recent urban redevelopments spearheaded by Asian Americans in the Middletown area include the tech company Gan Jing World on Fulton Street, the fledging Northern Medical Center on the Middletown Community Campus, and the New Middletown department store on North Street.
Mr. DeStefano said that Middletown had always been an immigrant city welcoming people from all ethnic and cultural backgrounds, whether they be Germans, Irish, Italians, Hispanics, or Asians.
“There is no place like Middletown,” New York Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther said at the event.
Addressing the Asian community gathered there for the celebrations, she said, “I want to thank you for all your participation in all the good things and all the years of friendship.”
After spending nearly 20 years in the Assembly, Ms. Gunther isn’t seeking reelection this fall.
