Chinese New Year Celebrated in Style in Locke: February 22, 2025
Over 700 visitors poured into Locke on February 22, 2025. It was a fantastic and enthusiastic crowd who came to see the town decked out in red lanterns and Year of the Snake banners.
Dignitaries present at the Opening Ceremonies included Sacramento County Supervisor Pat Hume; Locke Foundation chair Stuart Walthall; Alex Eng, president of the Chinese American Council of Sacramento; Kathy Chao Rothberg, Lau Family Community Development; Darren Suen, Elk Grove City Council; and Douglas Hsia.
Eastern Ways lion dancers provided their usual dazzling cadence of multicolored lions and martial artists. The lions stopped at selected businesses to pick the greens to ensure a prosperous year. The businesses will tie a red envelope filled with cash to a head of romaine lettuce above the front entrance. The lion would approach the lettuce like curious cat, consume the lettuce , spit out the leaves, but not the money.
Co-chairs for the festival were Honey Lum and Clarence Chu, board members of the Locke Foundation.
They were supported by a host of volunteers including Parking volunteers ( Eugene Wong, Nelson Loo, Alan Chan, Reuben Sanchez, Eugene Louie, Angela Fong, Carie Alexander and Negin Liaghat) Boarding House volunteers (DeeDee and Lili Kan, Eva Chu, Stuart Walthall, Mark Miller, Eileen Leung, Douglas Hsia, Betty Louie, Christina Ung, Johnston Wang, Rose Wong, James Xiao, Carol Lee ), Pearl speaker support (Mark B. Miller and Mark H. Miller.)
Financial sponsors of the event included Farmers & Merchants Bank, Chinese American Council of Sacramento, Clarence Chu, California Grocers Association, CAPITOL, and Confucius Church of Stockton.
Children and families participated in arts and crafts activities in the Jan Ying building led by Pamela Tom and Shuqin Jiao. These included making fortune cookies amd snakes with paper chains.
Like the Pied Piper, Liz Wong assembled children together for a skit about the 12 zodiac animals.
Author William Wong spoke before a packed venue in The Pearl, about his experiences growing up as a Chinese kid in Oakland Chinatown. He grew up to become an award winning journalist for the Oakland Tribute, Wall Street Journal and San Francisco Chronicle focusing on Asian American community topics.
Capital Chinese Orchestra entertained audiences with classical Chinese instruments.
Mary Ellen Burns, president of the Sacramento River Delta Historical Society, spoke on non Chinese pioneers who established communities in the Sacramento Delta.
On display on the second floor of the Boarding House is a lighted map of the Delta highlighting Chinese communities along the Sacramento River.. The display was designed by DeeDee and Lili Kan.
