Thousands Attend the 2009 Asian-American Cultural Festival at Farmingdale State College

Farmingdale, NY – May 2009 – Over 3,000 people converged on the campus of Farmingdale State College to attend the 3rd annual Asian-American Cultural Festival of Long Island, making it one of the most well attended cultural festivals in recent history. The festival was held at Roosevelt Hall in a spacious, circular room that accommodated the multitude of exhibits and live performances, cultural displays, corporate and vendor tables, raffle drawings and artistic demonstrations. Seven different countries were represented including China, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, India Thailand and the Philippines.

"This was a fantastic show of support from the Asian and non-Asian communities on Long Island," said Tai Wang, festival chair. “We were delighted with the turnout and thrilled with the enthusiasm shown on the part of the attendants." Added artistic director Stella Shieh, "The Asian-American Cultural Festival is a labor of love. There is an enormous amount of time and effort that goes into its planning and staging. We are gratified that so many people chose to join us this year."

The Asian-American Cultural Festival of LI was created to foster Asian cultural awareness and appreciation by uniting representatives of various Asian countries under one roof to showcase their heritage and traditions. The Suffolk County Executive’s Office of Minority Affairs is a sponsor of the event as are several corporations and academic institutions including Farmingdale State. Local merchants donated goods and services as well.

Each year individuals who have contributed in some way to the Asian community or society at large are honored during the festival’s evening program. This year’s honorees were News 12 reporter Virginia Huie, Lee Tee Shu of the Shu Enterprise Group, Babubhai Kapadia, spiritual guru, and Hon. Phra Debkittisophon, Abbott of the Vajaridhammapadip Temple in Centereach. Friends of the Asian Community Awards were given to Mel Guadalupe, Director of the Suffolk County Executive’s Office of Minority Affairs and Dr. Lorraine Greenwald, Dean of the Business School at Farmingdale State. Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy made a guest appearance to pay tribute to the festival’s founders, participants and the honorees. News 12 covered the event and Newsday featured five of the attendants in their weekly fashion page.