Ardsley to hold first festival Saturday marking Asian American Pacific Islander Month

ARDSLEY, NY -- The Village of Ardsley will hold its first-ever Asian American Pacific Islander Festival on Saturday, May 18, in Louis Pascone Memorial Park. The Festival will run from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will include speakers, communal art, dance performances, interactive workshops, a scavenger hunt and more.

"Asian-Americans are the second biggest ethnic group in Ardsley," Gina Roh, co-chair of the Ardsley AAPI Festival, said by email. "We wanted to start this festival to celebrate the diverse Asian cultures living in Ardsley."

The festival is just one event in the Westchester area celebrating AAPI Heritage Month, which occurs annually during May in celebration of the historical and cultural contributions that people of Asian and Pacific Islander descent have made to the United States, according to the official website.

"The theme of the festival is Connecting through the Arts," Roh said by email, "And we want to use (it) as a platform to build community using art, performances and dialogue to bridge generations and cultures."

The keynote speaker, Patricia Park, just published her third book, "What's Eating Jackie Oh?" David Imamura, the first Asian American on the Westchester Board of Legislators, will speak about his advocacy work to incorporate more AAPI literature in New York's schools.

Roh said other highlights of the festival include classical and Bollywood Indian dances, a Japanese tea ceremony demonstration, a Korean calligraphy workshop and a Chinese lion dance.

For the performance schedule, map, and more details on Ardsley's AAPI Festival, visit ArdsleyAAPI.com.

Samantha Antrum is the community news and outreach reporter for The Journal News/lohud. She reports on cultural and social justice issues and events. You can reach her by email at santrum@lohud.com or on her Instagram, @samantrum.