SOCCA (Southern Oregon Chinese Cultural Association) held its annual New Year’s Celebration in downtown Jacksonville today (February 4). The star of the show was the weather…and the incredible parade, featuring dragons, lions, antique cars, and more! A fabulous show was held at Bigham Knoll, along with numerous classes and events. It was the perfect setting for a perfectly fun day in Jacksonville, Oregon!

Cheryl Garcia, Jacksonville’s own metal artist, designed and created a beautiful, metal dragon sculpture especially for the event today.

The Chinese are celebrating the very auspicious, and only mythical, Year of the Water Dragon this year. To celebrate, SOCCA brought in a talented group called the Loong Mah Ladies Dragon Teamk from San Francisco, who performed with a 70-foot dragon! The head weighs 30 pounds! The day also featured the Lan Chi Lion Dance Team.

See the photo gallery below and a great video of some of the highlights of this great day!

[galleryview id=16]