Audrey Heckel, 21/2, and her brother John-John, 1, were among the first-time visitors, but for others the celebration was a familiar and cherished tradition, including the little red envelopes (hong-bao), which were distributed to the children as welcome gifts at the door.

Dedicated volunteers, including PAAC board members and high school students, transformed the auditorium at Beach School into a magical place. A colorful dragon greeted visitors at the door, good wishes and lucky sayings adorned the walls, and the refreshment table was dressed with a festive red tablecloth, an arrangement of oranges for good fortune and two stuffed monkeys symbolizing the Year of the Monkey. Platters of almond cookies, sesame cookies and fortune cookies completed the décor, but were soon devoured.

At the arts and crafts table, red envelopes traditionally used for gifts of money were pressed into creative service by Linda Lei. With a few folds and two simple cuts, each envelope was transformed by eager little hands into a festive gold fish figurine, a traditional symbol of good luck.

At a second station, Piedmont resident Hingman Chan helped children make and decorate "lucky" candy boxes out of colorful cardboard. In addition, Hingman's father, Ka Kwong Chan, graciously contributed his skills with a calligraphy brush to create wall hangings for children, and adults, to take home.

Traditional New Year's wishes, such as "Fu" (good fortune or prosperity), "Ru" (power and might), and "Shou" (long life) were very popular, but Mr. Chan was also happy to create graceful word images of individual names, as well as personalized birthday wishes, upon request.

PAAC president Stan Moy officially kicked off the festivities by welcoming all visitors, young and old, old-timers and newcomers alike. After some brief business, everybody settled down as the show began.

First up, the Eden Aoba Taiko Drummers got everything off to a rousing start. The powerful rhythms combined with intricately choreographed dance rotations of the drummers among the drums, creating a dazzling spectacle for both eyes and ears.

Director Masa Fukuizumi founded this group of drummers in 1997 in Hayward to promote the traditional Japanese art of Taiko drumming. The broad appeal of this musical tradition is evident in the composition of the group, which today includes members ranging in age from 6 years old to older than 70. Members learn not only the art of performing, but they also make all of their own drums and equipment.

Although the Taiko drummers were a tough act to follow, a group of talented students from the O-Mei Kung Fu Academy in Oakland managed to "wow" the audience with a spectacular performance of an entirely different sort. Chrystina, Michael and Robert Yu of Piedmont, Alex and Kiana Whitlow of Danville, and Christopher and Jonathan Quiambao of San Lorenzo performed a series of complex routines with split-second precision.

Whirling and twirling their swords, spears and staffs, as well as their own bodies, these young disciples of kung fu, who range in age from 8 to 12, were in almost constant motion across the entire stage. In the midst of all the motion, Alex Whitlow, who has been studying kung fu for the longest among this group, caused the audience to take a collective gasp of awe as he stood stock-still, raised one leg until it was perpendicular above his head, and, in a single, graceful arc, fell into a sitting-splits position on the stage.

I was so impressed by the kung fu students that I enrolled my daughter, Caroline, at the O-Mei Kung Fu Academy this past weekend!

The Marin Chinese Cultural Group Lion Dance Team brought the festivities to a dramatic close with the traditional lion dance with four lions. Ben Chuck started this group more than 10 years ago in order to teach lion dancing to young children.

Many of the original students have grown up and gone off to college by now, but the group continues in full force, a living testament to the vitality and enduring quality of Ben's vision and efforts. Jeffrey Chin, for example, followed his older brother into the lion dance group almost 12 years ago and is now the "head" of the golden lion. Jeffrey is graduating from high school this year and will be heading off to college in the fall, but many younger kids are following in his footsteps in the group.

Judging by the group's grueling performance schedule, 27 performances during the two months before and after the Lunar New Year which is the height of their season, the lion dance continues to be a vibrant part of the Asian-American culture here in the Bay Area.

PAAC is extremely proud to play a role in celebrating different aspects of Asian-American cultural heritage and bringing this heritage to a communitywide audience.

For more information about PAAC's activities or to join PAAC as a member, call Mary M. Geong at (510) 654-4417 or e-mail## mmgeong@aol.com.

Contra Costa Times
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