Southern Oregon Chinese Cultural Association’s 2017 Chinese New Year Celebration is on February 18. 2017 in Jacksonville, OR.

“Celebrating Family, Health, Culture and Community.” See website for more: http://soccachinesenewyear.org/

8:30AM – Rise and shine with Tai-chi 太極 exercise – Terry Hall and Wayne Huey will lead 3 warm up exercises and demonstrate Tai-chi movements 1-19. At the Bigham Knoll Campus grounds. Mr. Hall practices the traditional Yang Style Long Form of Tai-chi Ch’uan. He has been teaching Tai-chi since 1974 at the City College of San Francisco and with the Golden Gate Park Tai Chi Classes. Want to learn more? Join Mr. Hall and Wayne Huey, a/k/a Red Panda Acrobats, (3PM) this afternoon at Bigham Knoll for Tai Chi and acrobatic workshops.

9:00AM – 5K Lucky Rooster Family Fun Run at the Bigham Knoll Campus. Pre-registration is recommended at www.socca.us, day-of registration 8AM-8:30AM.

10:30AM – Our Traditional Chinese New Year Lion Dance Parade underwritten by U.S. Bank – Lions, dragons, gongs, pep bands and community groups will process through downtown Jacksonville. Join the fun: register online by Feb.10, 2017 at www.socca.us to join the procession. Community groups are invited to join the procession of lions, dragons, gongs, and pep bands to celebrate the Year of the Rooster. Must register online by Feb 10, 2017 at www.socca.us. Mr. Jim Meyer, principal of St. Mary’s School, is leading a team of teachers from the Confucius Classroom to wish everyone a happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year. SOCCA would like to thank the Confucius Classroom at St. Mary’s School for not only providing significant funding since the inception of this community celebration, but also offering nearly 60 student volunteers annually to help make this festival possible. “ Performing in the lion dance procession today are local students who learned the skills from SOCCA’s lion dance clinic held in December. The clinic was made possible by a grant from the Oregon Community Foundation.

11:30AM – 2:30PM – Children’s Activities Let your kids romp, jump and slide in two “Dragon Jump Houses” on the former Jacksonville Courthouse Museum grounds. Adult supervision required. At the New City Hall grounds, 206 N.5th Street.

Games, Arts & Craft, lantern building, face-painting and games galore. At the IOOF Hall, 175 S. Oregon St.

12-1PM – “Searching for Gold Mountain” – The story of the Chinese gold miners of Jacksonville presented by historian Larry Smith. Gold was first found here in 1851. Weather permitting, participants will visit the Long Tom Sluice Box Chinese Memorial Fountain and the site of the archaeological dig of the Chinese Quarter. In the Naversen Room, Jacksonville Public Library. The story of the Chinese gold miners and celebrated photographer Peter Britt of Jacksonville is presented by historian Larry Smith. Smith was raised in Phoenix, Oregon and while attending college he worked as a park ranger at Crater Lake National Park. He taught 5th grade at Jacksonville School for 33 years when he developed an interest in the town’s history: concentrating on Jacksonville’s Chinese connections. Larry continues to lead field trips to Crater Lake National Park and up to the preserved goldmines of Jacksonville. Larry has been appointed by the City Council as Jacksonville’s official town historian.

12-1PM – Thirteen year-old Junior Chef Herason Wang 王美眉 will demonstrate how to make Chinese dumplings, a traditional celebratory and versatile food enjoyed by all especially during the Chinese New Year season. At the Bella Union Restaurant and Saloon, 170 W. California, second floor. Admission $5, includes tasting. Herason Wang has always had a passion for cooking and has attended cooking schools. She has won a cooking competition show produced by NBC. Assisting Herason will be her grandmother, Master Chef Jenny Wang, who has been a restaurateur and a professional Chinese chef for nearly 30 years.

12-1PM – “What can Feng Shui 風水 do for you?” Owner of Creative Visions Feng Shui, Sugeet will offer a bare bones look at this ancient art and science, as it applies to your personal life, home and business. At the Old City Hall, corner of Main Street and Oregon Street. Sugeet Posey is the owner of Creative Visions LLC, a 15 year old firm that uses the principles of Feng Shui to change the look, feel and energy of personal and business spaces. He has designed new offices, rearranged floor plans, done color consultations and cleared negative forces for many clients in the Northwest.

12-1PM – Terry Hall teaches the Yang Style Long Form of Tai-chi Ch’uan He will present the concept of “Units + Measurements = Ruler” which is practiced by the Tai Chi enthusiasts young and young at heart. At U.S. Hotel Ballroom, 125 E. California Street, second floor.

12-3PM – “Courage in the Golden Valley”: Southern Oregon Chinese History – An exhibition portraying the Chinese experience as immigrants moving here in the 1800s. Highlighting new research by the Southern Oregon University Laboratory of Anthropology, it retells their history through Chinese voices and objects, showing their challenges and adversities in southern Oregon. At U.S. Hotel Ballroom, 125 E. California Street, second floor.

12-2PM – Chinese Quarter archaeological dig on-site exhibit – See what artifacts were excavated, what they mean, and what a house might have looked like for the Chinese residents living in Jacksonville in 1888. Learn about the archaeology in Jacksonville’s Chinese Quarter in an interactive display put on by the staff and students of the Southern Oregon University Laboratory of Anthropology. At Main St./Veterans Park.

12:30-2PM – Award-winning junior artist, Alexey Wang 王煥沖 exhibits and demonstrates Chinese Brush Painting – an ancient form of art that has existed for over thousands of years. At the Elan Suites and Gallery, 245 W. Main Street. There are two main techniques of Chinese brush painting: the first technique being a detailed portrait and the second technique is a freehand portrait. Alexey Wang, a graduate of St. Mary’s School, and currently a student at the University of Washington, will focus mainly on freehand portrait technique. He specializes in painting plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, chrysanthemums, lotus and peony flowers. The peony flowers are know as the ‘King of Flowers’ and is the symbol of wealth, good fortune, happiness and prosperity in the Chinese culture.

1-2PM – “Am I a Rooster or a Monkey?” Learn from David Y. Lei 李 萱頤 about the Obfuscation of the Chinese Calendar and Other Less Known Chinese Traditions.” At the U.S. Hotel Ballroom, 125 E. California Street, second floor. David Y. Lei was born in Taiwan and immigrated to the US at age 7. Co-founder of Chung Ngai Dance Troupe in 1966, Chinese Performing Arts Foundation in 1992 and the Academy of Chinese Performance Art in 1995. He is a board member of the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, and current board member of Center for Asian American Media (U.C. Berkeley), Chinese American Community Foundation, Advisory board of the San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival, Asian Chefs Association, and Advancing Justice – Asian Law Caucus.

1-2PM – Peter Britt and the Chinese – Local historian Larry Smith will talk about Peter Britt among a collection of his photographs. Peter Britt is recognized as a celebrated photographer of the 19th century, noted for his collection of photographs of Chinese settlers in Jacksonville. Weather permitting, participants will visit the Peter Britt Gardens. In the Naversen Room at the Jacksonville Public Library.

1-2PM – “What’s in store for the year?” If you were born in 1945, 1957, 1969, 1979, 1993 or 2005, you would be a ‘rooster.’ Ken Bendat, Chinese scholar and doctor of Chinese medicine, reveals amusing and insightful perspectives according to the Chinese Zodiac. At the Old City Hall, corner of Main Street and Oregon Street. 3-4PM – “Acrobatics and Tai Chi: Watch and Learn” underwritten by the Confucius Classroom at St. Mary’s School. Wayne Huey, aka Red Panda, trained professionally with the Fu Hsing Drama School in Taiwan and Shanghai Circus Academy in China. He has been performing in the US for 24 years in a variety of events and leading workshops in acrobatics. Back by popular demand, Wayne will thrill the audience with his acrobatics, juggling and balancing acts. Following the performance, Wayne will lead a basic acrobatics workshop for children. Simultaneously, Master Terry Hall will hold a workshop for adults who are interested in learning and practicing some Tai Chi movements. Both workshops will take place at Bigham Knoll Ballroom, 525 Bigham Knoll Drive. Admission: $5.

Special Events:

Feb. 1-28 – Archaeology in the Community – participation in the preservation of the Jacksonville Chinese Quarter, presented by Southern Oregon University Laboratory of Anthropology – at the Foyer of the Jacksonville Public Library.

Sunday, Feb.19, 9-11AM – Tai Chi Lesson with Wayne Huey & Terry Hall at Grizzly Peak Winery, 1600 E. Nevada Street, Ashland, OR 97520.