Thank you to all the volunteers, performers, and community members who joined us at the Chappaqua Performing Arts Center over the weekend for our annual Lunar New Year celebration. To usher in the Year of the Snake, this year’s event featured a variety of songs and dances, followed by cultural activities and popular Korean teas and snacks.
The performances included a joyous lion dance, complete with colorful young lions from the Miumoo Lion Dance Team, a bathing festival dance by the Westchester Chinese Folk Dance Team, and a karate demonstration by students at the Okinawa Goju-Ryu School of Karate. To prepare for the closing dragon dance, Horace Greeley High School students and other community members met in the library theater for weekly rehearsals to practice moving the beautiful 14-meter dragon.
Along with calligraphy, craft activities, and the beloved chopstick games, attendees who stayed after the performance got to test out special wooden blocks inspired by Chinese architecture built without nails or glue.
We’re so grateful to the Town of New Castle, the Chappaqua Performing Arts Center, and all our dedicated volunteers for making this event such a success! We hope to see all of you—and some new folks too—for next year's celebration in 2026!
Wishing you all good health and good luck!
Robbin Friedman
Assistant Director and Head of Children's Services