By: Jake Uitti
MONTGOMERY Two areas of the township will play host to Chinese New Year celebrations in coming weeks.
This year, Chinese New Year falls on Jan. 29, and there will be a celebration before and after the holiday for those who want to enjoy the coming of a new year and its new possibilities.
The Pike Run development will host an event in the clubhouse off Pike Run Road at 7 p.m. Saturday that will include fishing games, riddles, singing performances, Chinese drums, tai chi, a magic show and calligraphy, said David Fan, organizer of the Pike Run celebration.
This marks the fourth consecutive year that Pike Run will hold a party for the Chinese New Year.
"There are a lot of Chinese in Montgomery," Mr. Fan said, "and we think this party will show and celebrate some of our traditions.
"We welcome all people from the public and from Pike Run," Mr. Fan continued. "And the kids in town usually like the special occasion."
The second celebration will be held Feb. 2, after the New Year, in the Otto Kaufman Senior Center on Skillman Road. It will begin at 10:30 a.m. with some seniors performing cultural dances and singing, along with tai chi and mulan fan exercises, said Jenny Lu, the party’s organizer and a teacher of Chinese in Bridgewater.
This will be the second consecutive year that the Otto Kaufman center holds a Chinese New Year celebration.
At 11:30 a.m., Ms. Lu said, there will be up to 50 Chinese dishes served in the senior center. All these dishes will be prepared by the Chinese seniors, she said.
"Last year, we served only 40 dishes," she said, laughing.
"We are very excited to hold the celebration, and hopefully we can continue something like this in the future," she added. "It’s an activity full of cultural heritage, and a very good opportunity for the Chinese community to establish a bridge between it and the American community" in the township.
This year, Ms. Lu said she expects about 100 people to attend.
