Lunar New Year
Lunar New Year
WESTBROOK, ME - FEBRUARY 4: After a two-year, pandemic-related hiatus, The Chinese and American Friendship Association of Maine hosted its 32nd Lunar New Year celebration to ring in the Year of the Rabbit at Westbrook Middle School on Saturday.
Although it was good to be back, the timing could have been better, said Gary Libby, interim president of CAFAM.
“We ended up with one of the worst dates in history,” he joked.
Sub-freezing temperatures on Saturday hampered attendance, Libby said. Typically the event — which includes a performance by Boston-based Chinese Folk Art Workshop, Chinese cooking demonstrations, Tai Chi lessons, calligraphy, crafts and more — draws about 700. On Saturday, however, about 200 people filed into the Westbrook Performing Arts Center to see CFAW perform “The Legend Reborn.”
Libby predicted CAFAM “will lose a lot of money” on the event.
The group, a nonprofit that was founded in 1988, “provides forums and outreach to promote awareness of and appreciation for Chinese culture,” according to its website. “We invite anyone with an interest in China to become a member.”
CAFAM has several other events on the books for 2023, including the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival Potluck Picnic at Fort Williams Park on Sept. 24. (Staff photo by Ben McCanna/Staff Photographer)
