Issue: # 1: April 23, 2007
| Community Celebrates AHSC Kickoff in SoMa |
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 By Angela PangThe fun and excitement of the annual Asian Heritage Street Celebration is just around the corner and with a month to go, approximately 200 community members and local elected officials gathered to kick off the street fair on Apr. 17 at the stylish Soma Grand Sales Center in San Francisco. This year the fair will take place Saturday, May 19 on Howard and 5th streets from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and in the evening there will be an after-party at the nightclub Suede. The location of the street fair rotates each year to showcase the different Asian enclaves in San Francisco. "From the 1920s up to the present, and especially during the 50s and 60s, SoMa has been the entry point of Filipinos in San Francisco. It is home to many of our cultural centers, restaurants, seniors/veterans facilities, schools and churches," said College Board member Rodel Rodis. "We warmly welcome AsianWeek Foundation's choice of SoMa as the site of its third annual fair as it celebrates Filipino culture and heritage which it integrates within the broader Asian American community." Guests munched on delicious dim sum provided by Yank Sing Restaurant and sipped cocktails supplied by Takara Sake, who created a special drink, Tokyo-politan, similar to a Cosmopolitan, for the event. Instead of triple sec, HANA lychee-flavored sake is used. Steve Nakajo, the executive director of Kimochi, Inc., emceed the kickoff while Ed Villa Carlos of EVC Entertainment provided music. Among the exciting activities planned for this year's fair are a karaoke competition with prizes, an anime pavilion, manga, trading cards, video games and J-cars. There will also be Muay Thai Kickboxing, arts and crafts booths, food and live entertainment ranging in styles from Asian reggae, Korean dance and J-rock. Asian Pacific American students will be recognized for achievement in visual and performing arts and a school raffle and fundraiser benefiting the San Francisco public school district will be held. Attendees will once again be offered free Hepatitis B screenings sponsored by the San Francisco Hepatitis B Free campaign. This lifesaving campaign which will make screenings available to all San Franciscans and is tied into Assembly Bill 158, authored by Assemblymember Fiona Ma.  "Health outreach is one of our important features of our street fair," said Ted Fang of the AsianWeek Foundation. "Hep B is the greatest health disparity between Asians and non Asians." "The Street Celebration is a platform for all things Asian Pacific American," he added. AHSC presenting sponsors are Comcast and California Pacific Medical Center. "As the first Filipina elected to school board, I'm exceptionally proud that [the AHSC] will be celebrating here where a large population of the Filipino community was located," said S.F. School Board Member Hydra Mendoza. "This is a wonderful celebration and we should continue to do this throughout the year." (pictured: George Washington High School's Eagles Service Society and The Amazing Race's Cho Brothers came to kickoff the 3rd annual AHSC. From left to right: David Lu, Randy Leung, Rodolph Camsat, Godwin Cho, Darryl Chow, Ming Bai, Erwin Cho, and Samuel Yee. Photo credit: Samson Wong. From left to right: School Board Member Eric Mar, Supervisor Ed Jew, College Board Member Rodel Rodis, Assessor Recorder Phil Ting, and AsianWeek President James Fang. Photo Credit: Samson Wong.) |
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| Entertainment Spotlight |
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 By Christine PadillaOnce again, we welcome Native Elements back to our stage for our 3rd Annual Asian Heritage Street Celebration! NATIVE ELEMENTS San Francisco's reggae favorite Native Elements (now in their 10th year as a cohesive unit) never fail to bring positivity and niceness to all of their music gatherings. As recording artists, they spin a curious fabric of luvers rock, roots and conscious dancehall wrapped cozily in a bright "frisco-pino" treatment. A family before anything else, Native Elements strives to make their show a warm and inviting experience for all; young and old, blue and green and everything in between. "Our return to the Asian Heritage Street Celebration is not only an honor but a pleasure," said Chris Cortez drummer and manager. "Seeing and hearing the wealth of Asian art and culture is an experience not to miss." http://www.native-elements.com/ (Pictured: Local Reggae band Native Elements and their new youngest fan at the 1st annual AHSC at Japantown, San Francisco. Photo courtesy of TedJocsonPhoto.com.) |
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| Ways you can participate in the festival! |
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 By Alisa TanphanichHave fun and make new friends by participating in this year's 3rd annual Asian Heritage Street Celebration! We welcome people from all ages and backgrounds. Below is a list of suggested participation opportunities. For more information contact Alisa Tanphanich at (415) 321-5865 or alisat@awfoundation.com. Participation Opportunities
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| (pictured: S.F. Mayor Gavin Newsom stopped by the Karaoke stage at the 2nd annual AHSC to sing "I Left My Heart in San Francisco.) |
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| Sponsor Highlights |
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 By Alexis Wong SOMA GRAND As San Francisco's first "lifestyle condos," Soma Grand will offer residents the style, service and soul of a boutique hotel, and will provide the centerpiece for an up-and coming neighborhood in the South of Market district. This distinctive property has been developed by three unique entities, TMG Partners - a full-service real estate development and management company, AGI Capital - a San Francisco-based real estate development and investment company that develops successful residential, commercial and mixed-used projects, and Joie De Vivre Hospitality - a creative collection of lifestyle businesses. This exceptional development of 246 condominiums in a 22-story tower will provide some of the most spectacular views of San Francisco. The location, 1160 Mission St., between 7th and 8th streets, will also have two retail locations at street level and a 504-car underground parking garage. This central location is within walking distance of the city's primary cultural, shopping and governmental attractions, including the Warfield and Orpheum Theaters, Westfield San Francisco Centre, The Metreon, Union Square, and Civic Center Plaza. Soma Grand will be the first condo development to feature Joie de Vivre's revolutionary concept - pairing the style, service and soul of a boutique hotel with mid-priced residential condos. Living at Soma Grand will offer a chance to experience the best of the urban living while enjoying hotel amenities formerly reserved for luxury buyers, including daily personal concierge service, bimonthly housekeeping and more. At the Park Level on the fifth floor, residents will share luxurious amenities such as a sundeck, fitness center, meditation garden, fire pit and club room. Soma Grand will also feature a roof garden, a unique and sophisticated restaurant offering, parking, as well as easy access to the shopping, restaurants and cafes in the area. Soma Grand's exterior entrance will feature San Francisco's largest outdoor art installation, a dramatic 8,000 sq. ft. fused-glass piece designed by Oakland artist Dorothy Lenehan of Lenehan Architectural Glass. The Soma Grand Sales Center is located at 1085 Mission Street (near 7th St.), across the street from the Soma Grand construction site. The sales center is open daily: weekdays, noon - 7 p.m., Saturday/Sunday, 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. For more information, call (415) 252-5888 or visit www.somagrand.com. Soma Grand and AGI Capital are proud to be sponsors of the 3rd Annual Asian Heritage Street Celebration! (Photo courtesy of Soma Grand) |
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