SAN FRANCISCO (April 30, 2009)- The Asian Heritage Street Celebration (AHSC) and the San Francisco Asian Art Museum have joined together to recognize the diversity of the Asian community in San Francisco and to promote Asian cultural arts and crafts.

This year’s event takes place on May 16, 2009 from 11 am until 6 pm, and marks the fifth annual Asian Heritage Street Celebration held in San Francisco. This year’s focus on the Vietnamese community in San Francisco brings the AHSC right at the doorstep of the Asian Art Museum in Civic Center, running up Larkin Street to the Gates of Little Saigon on Eddy Street, and spans 14 city blocks.

AHSC will feature special cultural booths on the courtyard steps of the Asian Art Museum, and the museum will be offing free admission tickets to fairgoers who patronize the many Arts and Crafts vendors at the Street Celebration. The museum will also remain open throughout the day.

“Our Arts and Crafts Vendors are at the center of the Asian Heritage Street Celebration. They carry on the beauty and artistry of the Asian/Pacific Islander culture in their quality and exquisitely crafted items,” said Ted Fang, organizer for the Asian Heritage Street Celebration. “We are happy that the Asian Art Museum is joining with us to promote their craftswork, and to help bring their beautiful, quality arts and crafts items to fairgoers.”

In partnership with the Asian Heritage Street Celebration and in recognition of Asian Pacific Heritage Month, the Asian Art Museum is offering:
Free admission: Participants spending at least $30.00 at any Arts and Crafts booth will receive a voucher for one free admission to the Asian Art Museum. 2-for-1 admission: Spend $10 to $30 at any Arts and Crafts booth and receive a voucher that entitles the individual to one complimentary general admission ticket when purchasing an adult admission ticket (normally $12) at the Asian Art Museum. All offers valid May 16 through June 10, 2009 and are limited to one per person.
“The Asian Art Museum welcomes the Asian Heritage Street Celebration to our Civic Center neighborhood on May 16 and we are pleased that together we can honor the vibrant and thriving Asian community in San Francisco,” says JayXu, museum director. “We are especially delighted to support the arts vendors participating in the Celebration by providing museum vouchers to their patrons and we look forward to their visits in the coming month.”
This partnership with the Asian Heritage Street Celebration is supported by Visa.
About the AsianWeek Foundation
The AsianWeek Foundation is a non-profit 501©3 committed to developing the voices of Asian America. Founded in 2004, The Asian Heritage Street Celebration is organized by the AsianWeek Foundation in cooperation with San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom’s Asian Pacific American Committee and over 150 organizations serving the approximate 525,000 members of the Bay Area Asian Pacific American community. All proceeds benefit local and national Asian Pacific American charities.

About the Asian Art Museum
The Asian Art Museum of San Francisco is one of the largest museums in the Western world devoted exclusively to Asian Art, with a collection of over 17,000 artworks spanning 6,000 years of history. The museum is a public institution whose mission is to lead a diverse global audience in discovering the unique material, aesthetic, and intellectual achievements of Asian art and culture.
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11:00:00 AM    Miss National Asia Pageant
11:05:00 AM    Citizen School Tinikling Performance
11:15:00 AM    Pushin’ The Bay - Emcee T, Mac Mall and Ray Luv
11:25:00 AM    Mark Munoz UFC Fighter Filipino Wrecking Machine
11:30:00 AM    Planet Infinity’s More Than Medals Taekwando Team
11:50:00 AM    UBI
12:00:00 PM   Indonesian Consulate Dance Performance
12:10:00 PM   Charlie Chin
12:45:00 PM   Argonne Elementary School Dance Performance
1:00:00 PM     School Award Presentation
1:30:00 PM     Faces of Asia Procession Presentation
1:40:00 PM    Nguyen Dance Company
2:00:00 PM    Downe-FX
2:10:00 PM    LIKHA - Pilipino Folk Ensemble
2:20:00 PM    Go Bigg
2:30:00 PM    AHSC’s Best Dance Crew -  Contest hosted by WILD949
3:30:00 PM    Animemyu plus CosPlay 
4:00:00 PM    US Wing Chun
4:30:00 PM    Karaoke Contest
5:30:00 PM    Kickboxing Demomonstration 

    
    

11:00:00 AM    San Francisco Supervisors
11:05:00 AM    Chung Ngai Dance Troupe
11:20:00 AM    Amber Field
11:30:00 AM    Rendezvous
12:00:00 PM    Kaz-well
12:15:00 PM    KAPAKAHI
12:45:00 PM    Mango Kingz
1:15:00 PM    Miles Outside
1:45:00 PM    Curt Yago
2:00:00 PM    REN THE VINYL ARCHAEOLOGIST 
2:15:00 PM    Native Elements
2:45:00 PM    Lyrics Born with Joyo Velarde
3:30:00 PM    Thomas’ Aparttment
4:00:00 PM    The Campaign
4:20:00 PM    Enoch
4:30:00 PM    Drunken Hu?
5:00:00 PM    Random Ninjas
+ Resident DJs Tone Def & Jay Plus, Greetings from Elected Officials, Raffle Prizes and More!

AMBER FIELD

Amber Field began playing piano at age five. She received a BA in Indian History from Pomona College and studied abroad in India. Amber chants and plays esraj, didgeridoo and drums in Bay Area yoga classes. amberfieldmusic.com

ANIMEMYU
Animemyu, a non-profit that serves to inspire people to learn about Japanese culture and language through Japanese animation musicals, is best known for its Sailor Moon Musical that has been performed for the past three years at the city’s Cherry Blossom Festival. animemyu@gmail.com

ARGONNE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Argonne Elementary School is proud to present a class of fourth and fifth grade students in their debut performance of hip-hop and drumming. These dedicated students spent five months training and learning choreography during recess, lunch times and after school from their teacher, Julianne Eng.

BARNONE

CHARLIE CHIN

The Chinese Historical Society of America proudly presents an original History Alive! performance of Uncle Toisan by artist-in-residence Charlie Chin. This Chautauqua-style storytelling presentation features a Chinese American immigrant’s life in the U.S., highlighting the Chinese Exclusion Act, Angel Island, WWII and the civil rights movement.

CHUNG NGAI DANCE TROUPE

Chung Ngai Dance Troupe, established in 1966, serves to promote Chinese performing arts in the U.S. Students participate in a variety of cultural activities, including Chinese folk dancing, Chinese yo-yo, lion dancing, drumming and martial arts.

CITIZEN SCHOOLS BENJAMIN FRANKLIN INTERMEDIATE
Citizen Schools, a non-profit after school program for low-income middle school students, serves to educate students and strengthen communities by introducing kids to resources and activities available in their own backyards.

CURT YAGI

Voted the 2008 “Best of the Bay Singer Songwriter” by the San Francisco Bay Guardian, Curt Yagi’s music, filled with percussive guitar licks, breathy vocals, rhythmic beats and driving bass lines, will keep you going the entire day. curtyagi.com

DRUNKEN HU?

A group of four formed in 2006, Drunken Hu is a blend of alternative, hard rock, punk, metal and pop. myspace.com/drunkenhu

ENOCH

Hip Hop artist Enoch hopes to create music fueled by substance instead of greed. Enoch is working towards redefining the state of Hip Hop instead of just reinventing it. www.myspace.com/problemcausingsolution

GO BIGG

MANGO KINGZ

The Mango Kingz are six young entertainers joined by their common vision and love of music, to perform the kind of “head-bobbin’, toe-tappin’, get up out of your seat and dance” music known as “feel-good island music”. Take some oldies, pop, and r&b, add a little reggae spice and sprinkle some aloha over it, and you get an island style that won’t let you stop smilin’ and vibin’. A soothing mix of congas, drums, bass, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, and ukulele collectively form the background for this type of music, which we like to call “Island Flava”. As we expand our horizons when it comes to our musical talents, we hope to be able to continue to share our talents with everyone. Our goal, as musicians, is to spread the “Aloha”, or Love, we feel when we are on stage, with everyone in our audience. IT’S CONTAGIOUS! Are you ready for some Island Flava?

MARK MUNOZ

Mark was born February 9, 1978 on a US Military Base in Yokouska, Japan to Filipino parents Imelda Kenery of Santa Ana, Manila, Philippines and Rodolfo Munoz from Pasay City, Philippines. Munoz began to wrestle at the age of thirteen. In 1994, Munoz won the bronze medal in the 1994 Regional Sub-Section Wrestling Tournament and in that same year he went to Cadet World Wrestling Championships and took the 5th place in Moscow, Russia. In the following years in 19995 and 1996, Munoz won the California State wrestling Championship at 189 pounds for Vallejo High School two years in a row.

MILES OUTSIDE

An alternative hip-hop band based in the Bay Area, the members of Miles Outside are from various musical backgrounds including funk, rock, jam, hip hop, soul and drum and bass.

KAPAKAHI

Like the multi-cultural mix of musicians that make up the band, Kapakahi is about celebrating diversity in all its fun, funky glory with music that is a fresh and progressive mash-up of pop, reggae, hip hop and funk. kapakahimusic.com

KAZ-WELL

Kaz-well is a San Francisco-born hip-hop artist with tastes ranging from folk, rock and electornica. His album Fish Outta Water comes out later this year. myspace.com/kazwellmusic

AMERICAN CENTER OF PHILIPPINE ARTS

The newly founded American Center of Philippine Arts (ACPA) was founded by Jay Loyola, Herna Cruz-Louie and Jennifer Reyes in Oakland, CA in February of 2009. Our mission is to provide a unique educational and developmental platform for multidisciplinary Philippine arts through innovative hands-on classes, collaborations, networking opportunities, and showcasing events. We strive to nurture both traditional and progressive Philippine arts to strengthen our community and ethnic identity.

ACPA’s current programs include year-round Philippine folk dance youth classes for ages 5-18, dance classes for adults and supporting local Bay Area Pilipino college organizations and their showcase presentations. ACPA is continually seeking artists and volunteers in the community that have a passion for using Philippine arts to educate our communities to expand its programs.

LYRICS BORN

One of the best-selling independent hip-hop artists of this era, Lyrics Born released his first solo album Later That Day in 2003, one of the top 5 most critically acclaimed American hip-hop records that year. His following albums include Same !@#$ Different Day and Everywhere at Once.

NATIVE ELEMENTS

Native Elements, a collective of musicians and singers, has been performing for over a decade. With its repertoire firmly in the roots-reggae tradition, the group combines their colorful influences into an amalgamation of positive, vibrant music that speaks from the heart. chris@native-elements.com

PLANET INFINITY
Winning heaps of awards at the 2009 American Tae Kwon Do Open Championship, Planet Infinity consists of youth who have a strong desire to share to the community how tae kwon do has impacted their lives. They will showcase martial arts skills and stunts to encourage other youth to strive to be not just champions in the game, but champions in life.

PUSHIN’ THE BAY — EMCEE T, MAC MALL AND RAY LUV

The “Chinese King of the Bay,” Emcee T is a hip-hop musician, producer and television host for East Bay independent channel, Pushin’ the Bay TV. Through his music, he strives to enable Asian youth to achieve their career goals while having fun through positive hobbies. His first album, Underestimated, will debut soon.

RANDOM NINJAS

Random Ninjas is a heavy rock band spawned from the critical mass of global culture in the heart of L.A. Strong edgy vocals completes the aural masterpieces to bring audiences a new cultural freedom of expression in RANDOMNESS.

RENDEZVOUS

THE MAHEA UCHIYAMA CENTER FOR INTL DANCE AND KA UA TUAHINE POLYNESIAN DANCE COMPANY

Established in 1993, the MUCID Center serves to provide an environment where students of all ages and abilities can take part in a holistic multicultural dance experience through traditional training, lecture, demonstrations, performance opportunities and workshops with master teachers.

THE CAMPAIGN

THE VIETNAMESE PERFORMING ARTS GROUP / NGUYEN DANCE COMPANY

Devoted to teaching dance, Danny Quynh Nguyen established the Nguyen Dance Company in 1999. He is the first Vietnamese modern dancer, teacher and choreographer in the United States to receive his B.F.A. in Dance, Performance and Choreography from the California Institute of The Arts and his M.F.A. in Dance, Performance and Choreography from Mills College.

THOMAS’ APARTMENT
A musical creation fusing hard-driving riffs, euphoric melodies, serious lyrical depth with an alternative-rock-pop sensibility, the five-member Thomas’ Apartment is back with their brand-new second record Synchrony after the success of their debut, self-titled 12-track album in 2004. thomasapartment.com
UBI

WING CHUN DEMONSTRATION ‘THE STORY AND STYLE OF GRANDMASTER CHRIS CHAN’

Grandmaster Chan Kam Shig (Christopher Chan) was the first Chinese instructor to teach Chinese martial arts to the American public. During the 1960s, Chan and his friend Bruce Lee introduced and spread the popularity of the Wing Chun system throughout the Bay Area. Chan was the chief director in charge of promoting the first U.S. Chinese Kung Fu Exhibition in 1967. Chan founded the U.S. Wing Chun Kung Fu Academy and is currently the president and chief Instructor. Uswingchun.com

–Highlights include a Fashion show, Cosplay contest and anime vendors-

SAN FRANCISCO (April 8, 2009) – Time to bust out that Sailor Moon or Pokemon outfit and celebrate otaku (anime fan) culture! Anime fans are in for a treat as the Anime Pavilion returns, once again, to the Asian Heritage Street Celebration on May 16, with a fun daylong program including an anime theme runway fashion show, an anime Cosplay contest and masquerade, and Japanese rock performances.

The Pavilion, which has been a feature of the nation’s largest pan Asian street fair since 2007, celebrates the otaku culture in the San Francisco Bay Area and comes complete with local anime vendors, giving attendees a chance to pick up the latest manga. Past performers have included crowd pleasers – the Random Ninjas, The Slants, and Lemon Drop Kick. This year the Pavilion will also showcase original anime clothing lines from Japanese and Bay Area fashion designers. Attendees will also have the opportunity to win prizes by showcasing their own homemade anime costumes on stage.

The Fifth Annual Asian Heritage Street Celebration will be held on Saturday, May 16, 2009 located at the Civic Center leading to Little Saigon and will feature j-cars, a Muay Thai kickboxing ring, scrumptious food, tons of arts and crafts, carnival rides and games, free hepatits B screenings, and more! The Asian Heritage Street Celebration gathers the diversity of the Asian American populations of the San Francisco Bay Area and promotes cross-cultural interaction through sharing of cultures, creation of innovative programs and entertaining activities for visitors and participants.

To participate in the Anime Pavilion as a vendor or to enter the Cosplay Contest visit

visit eigomanga.com/ahsc/ for details and visit asianfairsf.com to learn more about the 5th Annual Asian Heritage Street Celebration.

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About eigoMANGA

eigoMANGA is a comic book publishing studio company that produces original Japanese-influenced comics as well as develop business and marketing projects geared towards the anime industry.

http://www.eigoMANGA.com/

http://www.eigoMANGA.com/ahsc/
About the AsianWeek Foundation

The Asian Heritage Street Celebration is organized by the AsianWeek Foundation in cooperation with over 150 organizations in the local and Asian American community. The AsianWeek Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)3 committed to developing Asian American community. All proceeds from the Celebration are donated to local and national charities. In the fifth years since it’s inception, the outdoor event has quickly become the country’s largest assemblage of Asian Americans. www.asianfairsf.com

SAN FRANCISCO (April 22, 2009) For the third year in a row, this year’s Asian Heritage Street Celebration promises an action-packed, in-your-face, Bay Area martial arts round-up featuring students of all backgrounds. The free exhibition, put together in part by San Francisco’s World Team USA, is expecting a turnout of more than 100 participants and hundreds of spectators. The event will take place Saturday May 16 in Civic Center from noon to 5pm.

“The event will feature students who wish to exhibit their striking skills in the ring,” said Kru Sam (Chilaphanh) Phimsoutham, the chief instructor and owner of World Team USA, who organized the exhibition in last year’s 3rd annual AHSC in the South of Market Area. Participants will be matched up with other students of the same skill level, age, weight and experience. Various styles of martial arts also will be featured, including muay thai, san shou, kung fu, MMA (for mixed martial arts), karate, and jiu-jitsu.

The event organizers are planning at least 50 bouts, using muay thai (Thai Boxing) rules, and pankration rules. Participants will dress in full gear — shin guards, gloves, body gear, head guards, and mouthpieces. “We’ve invited people from all around the Bay Area — some as far as Fresno, Los Angeles, and even Las Vegas,” said Kenneth Giang, a staff member at World Team USA. “This is going to allow the crowd to just see a little bit of what martial arts is all about.”

What: Mixed Martial Arts Exhibition at the Asian Heritage Street Celebration
Where: Civic Center to Little Saigon
When: Noon to 5 p.m.
http://www.worldteamusa.com/

-Filipino American Dave San Pedro Takes the Prize-

SAN FRANCISCO (April 20, 2009) - Dave San Pedro’s beautiful cherry blossom tree has been chosen as the official artwork of the 5^th Annual Asian Heritage Street Celebration (AHSC). His design was just one of 55 entries - the most submissions ever, for the annual AHSC poster contest held in conjunction with Kearny Street Workshop.

San Pedro wins the $500 grand prize and the opportunity to have his artwork prominently displayed all over San Francisco. His artwork will appear on CBS Outdoor Muni bus side and BART advertisements and Clear Channel bus shelters, plus newspaper advertisements, television commercials, the AHSC’s San Francisco Unified School District Asian Pacific American Student Awards, postcards, posters, and t-shirts promoting the free Saturday May 16 event, which will take place in front of the Asian Art Museum in Civic Center, leading up to Little Saigon from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

A graphic artist, painter, photographer, and musician, San Pedro was born and raised in Bacoor, Cavite Philippines. He graduated from the University of Santo Thomas, Philippines with a degree in Fine Arts, majoring in Advertising. While attending, he garnered top prizes for his artwork. He later immigrated to Norfolk, Virginia and joined the U.S. Army as a musician. After serving, he joined the U.S. Postal Service in 1979 and retired in 2006. He also formed Five D’s Arts, LLC, a Kamiseta screenprinting, design, and photography studio. San Pedro is affiliated with several Filipino American community organizations including the Filipino American Veterans Association and the Maharlika Lions Club. His poster design inspiration came from previous AHSC posters, which incorporated a 2, 3, and 4 to signify the respective year of each event. Following the tradition, his cherry blossom branch forms a 5.

Al Perez, a member of the poster committee, chose the design because “it was simple and clever, especially with its incorporation of the five in the illustration.” San Pedro says he is “excited to win” and remarks that his artwork for the event “symbolizes life’s beauty and to waste no time enjoying every moment of it.”

To contact San Pedro, email philippinefiesta@fivedsarts.com.

About the AsianWeek Foundation

The Asian Heritage Street Celebration is organized by the AsianWeek Foundation in cooperation with over 150 organizations in the local and Asian American community. The AsianWeek Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)3 committed to developing Asian American community. All proceeds from the Celebration are donated to local and national charities. www.asianfairsf.com

California Corn Roast & More

Roasted corn, baked potatoes and baked yams will all be roasted on site with our corn roaster. Fresh lemonade also available.

Delicious Kettle Corn

Kettle corn and bottled water

Hawaii BBQ

Chicken and pork kabobs, BBQ over rice, and chicken and pork grilled on charcoal BBQ

Hawaiian Regional Coffees

Coffees and teas and roasting demonstration

http://www.hawaiianregionalcoffees.com/

Irma’s Pampanga Restaurant

BBQ, lumpia, adobo and pancit

Korean American Association of San Francisco & Bay Area

Bulgogi (marinated beef), bibimbab (rice with vegetables) and galbi (marinated beef short ribs)

Mai Thai

Teriyaki chicken, Louisiana hot/mild links, all-beef hot dogs, vegetable fried rice and vegetable chow mein

New Filipinas Restaurant

BBQ chicken, pork, pancit, lumpia, rice, adobo, pork, chicken, water and soda

Saigon BBQ

On-site prepare: BBQ chicken and pork, and grilled pork/chicken with vermicelli noodles

Department of Consumer Affairs

We will provide free international brochures and promotional items on behalf of the Department of Consumer Affairs. http://dca.ca.gov/

Sterling Bank

www.sterlingbank.com

By Angela Pang

Ten outstanding Asian Pacific American organizations were honored by the AsianWeek Foundation on Jan. 14 at the Bambuddha Lounge in San Francisco as beneficiaries of the 2008 Asian Heritage Street Celebration. Twenty-one San Francisco public schools also received checks from the AHSC raffle and prize-drawing contest.

The event emceed by Marily Mondejar, president of the Filipina Women’s Network, and James Fang, BART Board Member, drew over 100 people from all the Asian ethnic groups.

The event annually returns all proceeds to various diverse and underserved Asian communities including Cambodians, Samoans, and Filipinos. Since its inception in 2005, the AHSC donated more than $50,000 to over 35 Bay Area community groups and charities, who are selected as beneficiaries for their role in assembling diverse elements within the Asian Pacific American community.

Lonnie K. Chin, president of the Association of Asian American Administrators, a 2009 Beneficiary said the donation will be used to develop leadership and prepare younger teachers to become future administrators. Her school is also a participant of the AHSC raffle and prize drawing program. With state budget cuts, she said the fundraising the AHSC provides for schools, is a great way to raise extra money for the school. Funds they earned will be used for their 155th anniversary memory book. Last year’s top prize came courtesy of Cathay Pacific – roundtrip airline tickets to Hong Kong.

“The AHSC has brought economic activity, established a greater sense of community, supported non-profit community-based organizations, strengthened relationships and fostered Asian American community pride,” said Steve Nakajo, Executive Director of Kimochi Inc, who will use the AHSC donation to continue their programs and services to the seniors of Japantown/Western Addition, San Francisco, and the greater Bay Area.

The San Francisco Japantown Foundation will be using the donation, to continue their mission of giving grants to nonprofit groups with cultural, community and educational activities that the foundation felt best promote and support Japantown, said Rich Hashimoto of the Japantown Merchants’ Association.

“We really appreciate the support of the AsianWeek Foundation, the money will be used to help continue our Khmer literacy classes and healthy eating program for students,” said Nette You, of Cambodian Community Development, Inc.

The Celebration is also committed to helping San Francisco public schools fundraise, which is why it created a raffle and prize-drawing program with the goal of teaching children philanthropy at an early age. The AHSC provides prizes and has students sell tickets on behalf of the street fair. All proceeds are returned to participating schools.

This year’s celebration is scheduled for May 16, 2009 in front of the Asian Art Museum and leads up to the Little Saigon District.

2008 AHSC Beneficiaries

Asian American Administrators Association (AAAA)

Asian American Recovery Services (AARS)

Cambodian Community Development Center

Hyphen Magazine

Intercultural Institute of California

Japantown Foundation

Kimochi, Inc.

National Association of Asian American Professionals (NAAAP)

Nihonmachi Street Fair

Vietnamese Community Center (VCC)

AHSC Raffle and Fundraiser School Participants

A. P. Giannini, Middle School

Abraham Lincoln High School

Alice Fong Yu Alternative School

Argonne Year Rd Alternative Elementary School

CDC   Jefferson (PreK)

CDC   Noriega (PreK & SA)

George Washington High School

Herbert Hoover Middle School

Jose Ortega Elementary School

Marina Middle School PTSA

Marshall Elementary School

McKinley Elementary School PTA

Mission High School

Newcomer High School

Presidio Middle School

-Festival to focus on all Asian groups in the City- 

SAN FRANCISCO (March 10, 2009) – The largest gathering of Asian Pacific Americans in the nation is back and bigger than ever, featuring Asian American artists, DJs, martial arts, today’s Asian pop culture, j-cars, a Muay Thai kickboxing ring, scrumptious food, a karaoke contest, arts and crafts, anime, free community health screenings and exciting prizes! The 5^th annual Asian Heritage Street Celebration will be held Saturday, May 16, 2009 in San Francisco, in front of the Asian Art Museum, leading up to the Little Saigon District. 

What:   Fifth Annual Asian Heritage Street Celebration 

When:    Saturday, May 16, 2009

                  11 a.m. - 6 p.m. 

Where:  In Front of the Asian Art Museum, San Francisco

                                    Larkin St., Near McAllister 

Information:  www.asianfairsf.com 
 

About the AsianWeek Foundation

The Asian Heritage Street Celebration is organized by the AsianWeek Foundation in cooperation with over 150 organizations in the local and Asian American community. The AsianWeek Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)3 committed to developing Asian American community. All proceeds from the Celebration are donated to local and national charities.www.asianfairsf.com