Events:

Springs Preserve celebration of Asian culture expands

New name, new performances, new vendors mark fifth installment

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Courtesy of Springs Preserve

Taiko drummers perform at the Springs Preserve Asian Heritage Celebration. The fifth annual festival will be held Sept. 27, 2014.

Fri, Sep 26, 2014 (3:45 p.m.)

The Springs Preserve annual celebration of the valley’s varied Asian communities and their cultures is getting a new name and injection of new activities.

The festival, now in its fifth year, was previously known as the Asian Harvest Moon Festival, but this year the title was switched to Asian Heritage Celebration.

“Springs Preserve is a cultural location and we hold several events that hit on different cultures here in the area,” Springs Preserve events coordinator Trish Carter said. “The Harvest Moon Festival is celebrated by the Chinese and Vietnamese, and we felt the new name better showcased all of the Asian cultures.”

To go along with the name change the festival, which runs 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, added a wider range of performers and new demonstration and food booths.

Asian Heritage Celebration

WHEN: Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

WHERE: Springs Preserve

COST: $5 adults, $3 children, Free for children 4 years-old and younger

INFO: http://www.springspreserve.org/apps/event/details.cfml?id=166

There will be a range of Asian food items, a children’s lantern parade, traditional dance and music performances, karaoke and other events.

Attendees can participate in arts and crafts, including the new addition this year, origami lessons. There will be a variety of performances including a Lotus Dance from the Thai American Trio, Chinese Lion Dance by the Logan School of Shaolin and the popular Las Vegas Kaminari Taiko Drummers.

Each year approximately 2,000 people attend, Carter said. There are seven food vendors and a dozen informational and merchandise booths at the festival this year. The festival ends with the children’s lantern parade, when the kids march through the preserve showing off the paper lanterns made in an arts and crafts session.

The Asian population in Southern Nevada doubled between 2000 and 2010, according to Census data, and the the Las Vegas metro area has the third largest community of Filipinos in the country.

“The lion dance and (Taiko) drummers are the staple performances, and then we like to switch up with different dance groups to represent different cultures each year,” Carter said. “The entertainment is always colorful and exciting, and I love to just stand and take in when I get a chance. And I always love to see the children’s lantern parade.”

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