The Annual Harvest Moon Festival to Take Place At Antelope Park Bandshell Sept. 22

By Madisyn Hahn
Sept. 19, 2019

The annual Harvest Moon Festival is an event celebrating Asian culture with live music and dancers. It will be held Sunday, Sept. 22 with entrances at 27th & A Streets at Antelope Park Bandshell. With the additions to live music and dancers, there will be cultural performances, Asian cuisine and the popular lantern parade – the event will run from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

The executive director of the Asian Community & Cultural Center in Lincoln, Sheila Dorsey Vinton said, “A fall celebration is common in many cultures and we wanted to celebrate the cultural heritage of the communities that we serve at the Asian Center. For many, it is a time of reflection on the bountiful harvest, reconnection with family members, eating delicious food, and enjoying the beautiful moon. In Asia, many people eat moon cakes or sing Pyin.”

The importance of the event is to recognize the contributions of all whom make up the vibrant backgrounds of Lincoln. The performances from ancient Asian culture include Lion Dance performed by JingMoTong Athletic Association starting at 4:00 p.m. followed by Vietnamese Zion Band, Omaha Karne Youth Love Culture, Vietmenese Senior Fashion Group, Chimwemwe Africa Dance Group, DeCora Nation Hoop Dancers, Viva Mexico, Lincoln Taiji Association, RunKun Li Jazz Quintet, Jewel in the Lotus Dance Co, Kokyo Taiko Japanese Drumming, UNL Hip Hip Dance Club, KCONL and a parade by Zion Band and KCONL Lead.

Activities include face painting, games from Southwest High School Asian Caucasus, origami art, a clown, henna tattoos, a balloon artist and more. The cultural cuisine will come from Banhwich Cafe, Manila Bar, Kona Ice, Heoya Food Truck and many other samples of traditional foods as well. The lanterns are a popular commodity each year and will be for sale at the event. “We use tea lights so we don’t pose a fire hazard,” Vinton said.

“The overall goal people should be getting out of this event is to be inclusive and to be able to share the cultural heritage of our clients in the Lincoln community,” Vinton said.