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BELLEFONTE -- Lunar New Year takes place on Feb. 10, 2024 and Centre County is happy to be welcoming in the Year of the Dragon.
At this week's Centre County Commissioners meeting, the board welcomed Vicki Fong and Jooyeon Rhee to the table to talk a little about the history of Lunar New Year and what it means to the community.
Lunar New Year is predominantly celebrated by Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Tibetan, Mongolian, Singaporian, Malaysian and Filipino communities and is a time for "joy and renewal" according to Fong.
"Traditions across these cultures are varied, but all focus is on celebrating and strengthening family and community bonds," said Fong.
Fong noted that the holiday is based on the lunar calendar which includes the Chinese Zodiac -- a 12-year cycle of animal signs and their attributes.
"The animal signs can vary across cultures, but the Lunar New Year marks the transition from one animal to the next, with Feb. 9 ending the year of the rabbit and Feb. 10 starting the year of the dragon," said Fong.
Those born in the year of the dragon are seen as courageous, intelligent, tenacious, enthusiastic and confident.
"The year of the dragon is supposedly the lucky year -- very auspicious or very disruptive. Everybody buys extra lottery tickets in the year of the dragon," said Fong.
"We have seen, over the past couple of decades, a real growth in the number of Asian-Americans here in State College and surrounding areas. We can tell they just bring so much diversity and a lot of warmth. The diversity of thought and foods, and different perspectives that the community is able to bring to our communities. My kids are half-Pacific Islander so we're part of the community to some extent as well," said Commissioner Amber Concepcion.
Jooyeon Rhee spoke briefly on what the celebration of Lunar New Year means for Asian communities -- specifically focussing on her own experience with Korean tradition.
"Our Lunar New Year starts with eating rice cake soup (on New Year’s Day). It's how everybody gets one year older. When I was young that was a really exciting idea -- that you get older by eating the soup. I'm less excited now," she joked.
"The idea is that everyone gets older together. (The) community, the family, they mature together by eating together and their bonds deepen. This is where our home is. As a person who is teaching students in Asian Studies where I witness the growth of student interest in Asian culture -- I'm really proud. This is really meaningful for me and the community," said Rhee.
Fong highlighted three outstanding Centre County residents who have passed on that she thought people would recognize, and wanted to highlight their contributions to the county.
The first individual she spoke about was Herbert Wong, who passed away on Jan. 26, 2024 at the age of 93.
"He and his wife, Theresa, opened the first Chinese restaurant on College Avenue in 1970, moved it to North Atherton Street in 1972, and in 1980 converted it to a wholesale and catering operation, supplying their famous classic egg rolls and other foods such as desserts to many restaurants around the county," said Fong.
Wong's children now continue the wholesale operation, according to Fong, and continue to carry on his legacy.
"Herb was a Marine veteran, a Pennsylvania college football player and a graduate in biology. We're grateful that he and Theresa decided to break ground with the first Chinese restaurant in State College," said Fong.
Fong next spoke about David Chen, who passed away on Dec. 22, 2023 at age 78.
"He and his wife, Julie, owned and operated the Golden Wok restaurant in downtown State College for 30 years. It was located in a house where it is today occupied by standard luxury student housing. When I arrived as a freshman in 1977, I was desperate to find any Chinese food -- because dorm food is dorm food -- I was so grateful they opened their house. I ate on a table on their porch and I was there weekly. They were my home away from home. They hosted many family events -- including a dinner after my mother's funeral in 2010," said Fong.
Commissioner Steven Dershem was eager to share his memories of both Wong and Chen.
"Many of us know Herb. I consider him a very good friend over the years. He's been an absolutely wonderful man to know, and his family has been awesome to our area," said Dershem.
Dershem shared a fun memory about the Chen family, and how connected he was to the Golden Wok.
"Dave and Julie Chen, I have eaten there many, many times. One of my very close friends and college roommate used to manage the restaurant. I probably went there more than I probably should have and enjoyed so many great meals there. Back in the day we used to deer hunt... The folks that worked there and the Chens enjoyed venison as well. There would be a special night we'd have that we would provide the makings of many good meals. I have very fond memories of some of the best venison of my life coming from the Golden Wok restaurant," said Dershem.
"I don't know that there is an Asian restaurant that compares with it in quality or breadth of service. I didn't realize that Dave had passed. It's a sad moment, but it’s an opportunity to celebrate some really amazing people," Dershem continued.
The final individual Fong spoke of was Penn State Professor Dr. C.R. Rao who passed away on Aug. 22, 2023 at the age of 102.
"He was a world-class teacher at Penn State, and a scientist in statistics research. Dr. Rao's contributions were honored by President Bush with a National Medal of Science, and his contributions to statistics and mathematics are used in economic planning, weather predictions and medical diagnostics today," said Fong.
"It's a holiday celebrating family and community, and we can always use more holidays like that," said Commissioner Mark Higgins.
Though there is no major event planned for Lunar New Year in the county, Fong encourages everyone to celebrate and recognize the event.
"We are so fortunate to count Dr. Rao, Mr. Chen and Mr. Wong among our prominent Centre County (citizens)," said Fong.