Asian Fest Gets Several Cultures Together

Seven-year-old Dianne Nalapo sat on a picnic bench in Reseda Park, eating a fortune cookie and wearing a bright yellow Chinese “luck bracelet.”

She was one of nearly 1,000 people who attended the first San Fernando Valley Asian and Pacific Islanders Heritage Festival on Saturday. Nalapo’s aunt, Alicia Magbanua of West Hills, hoped the event would educate her Filipino American niece.

“She was born in the U.S.,” Magbanua said. “I want her to learn about Filipino culture and other cultures, like Japanese, Chinese.”

The event was held during Asian Pacific Islanders Heritage Month, which is celebrated in May, according to organizer Violet Hom.

“There are a lot of Asian events in downtown Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Valley,” said Hom. “The Asian population is growing in the San Fernando Valley. We want people to know we’re here and we’re part of the community.”

Hom is director of the Asian and Pacific Islanders Council of the San Fernando Valley, a leadership and advocacy group that coordinated the festival. The event brought together Valley communities that may not usually interact, she said.

Richard Krell of Woodland Hills attended the festival with his Japanese-born girlfriend, Marsha Hope.

“It brings all the cultures together, and they even give us free food,” Krell said. “We’ve seen all types of dances that we’ve never seen before.”

Festival highlights included a Chinese “Lion Dance”; kung fu and taekwondo demonstrations; and Korean, Thai, Indian Polynesian, Filipino and Chinese dances.

“It’s important so we can have a voice,” said Rick Rolda, an event coordinator. “There’s a lot of us Asians here. We should be as one.”