Celebration to offer performances, interactive booths, food, and cultural performantces

By James Sloan, Rogue Valley Times

The Southern Oregon Chinese Cultural Association will bring some of the countries and customs of Asia together for the Lunar New Year celebration. Rogue Valley residents will have the opportunity to join in the festivities and learn more about those cultures while kicking off the Year of the Fire Horse throughout downtown Jacksonville.

The 21st annual Lunar New Year celebration includes cultural performances, interactive booths, food, activities and more for visitors of all ages.

The Lunar New Year celebration is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 21, and is free to attend.

“It will be in four different locations, the (Jacksonville) New City Hall grounds and upstairs, the Jacksonville Community Center, the Jacksonville Library and Art Presence Art Center,” said Jeresa Hren, president and founder of the Southern Oregon Chinese Cultural Association and longtime organizer of the event. “We’re anticipating at least 28 cultural booths in city hall and we also have at least 12 presentations and at least five stage performances, so there’s a lot to see.”

This year’s celebration will have representatives for Japan, Thailand, Singapore, the Philippines and China, each showcasing their cultures through performances, hands-on education or by other means.

Whether it’s learning how to play the popular Chinese tile-based game Mahjong or witnessing the lion and dragon dances performed each year with colorful costumes, there will be plenty to soak in.

“We’re just happy to be able to create a space where tradition, creativity and community come together to celebrate something unique, popular and fun.” Hren said. “This is a very hands-on and interactive festival; you can play games and talk to performers and take pictures and see the lion and dragon dances and ask questions.”

According to the Chinese zodiac calendar, 2026 is the Year of the Fire Horse which is generally seen as volatile and transformative.

“It’s beautiful and represents energy, movement, charisma, independence and intensity,” Hren said regarding the zodiac.

In honor of the horse, organizers will be bringing in special guest and artist Kevin Yeh, known for his expressive splash ink horse paintings.

Yeh is the third generation in his family of artists and continuing the painting traditions, and he’s visited the Rogue Valley in the past with art shows at the U.S. Hotel in Jacksonville, the Schneider Museum of Art in Ashland and more, Hren said.

Yeh will be offering live demonstrations as well as conducting a brush-painting workshop during the event at Art Presence Art Center.

“We think the demonstration will draw a lot of people to see how his art came about and his family ancestry and tenacity,” Hren said.

For more information on Yeh’s demonstrations and to register to attend, visit art-presence.org/february-kevin-yeh.

Another major draw of the Lunar New Year celebration is getting to see the lion and dragon dances performed by students of St. Mary’s School, taught by a master of dance typically from the San Francisco Bay Area, Portland or Seattle.

“People just love that; what we do is invite a master down and take them to St. Mary’s School and recruit 20 to 30 kids to learn the dances and go for it on the day of the festival,” Hren said.

Additionally, University of Oregon’s Museum of Natural and Cultural History will come down from Eugene with a booth and educate visitors on multiple parts of Asian history, especially in Oregon.

For Hren and other organizers, watching the Lunar New Year celebration grow from a tiny event in the early 2000s to a big-time draw for the region has been encouraging.

“It’s gratifying to see the interest the public has in this very unique fest; that’s why we do it,” Hren said. “It’s a fellowship and using creativity and relationships is what makes it happen.”

The event is also a major opportunity to introduce people to the deep and ancient history of numerous Asian cultures including art forms, traditions and cuisine.

“If we don’t do these things, our children will never learn about the outside world,” Hren said.

To learn more about the Southern Oregon Chinese Cultural Association and the Lunar New Year Celebration, visit socca.us.

Reach reporter James Sloan at [email protected]. This story first appeared in the Rogue Valley Times.