Following the lead of the new man-about-town Matt King, I
attended the Asians for a Better Community dinner at the Morgan
Hill Community and Cultural Center on Saturday evening.
Following the lead of the new man-about-town Matt King, I attended the Asians for a Better Community dinner at the Morgan Hill Community and Cultural Center on Saturday evening.
Still celebrating the Year of the Rooster and Chinese calendar year 4072 (I’m really much older than I look), the ballroom filled with families happy to hear the South Bay Chinese Opera Society singing the Chinese version of Shakespeare’s Henry VIII entitled “Beheading of Princess-Husband Chen Shi Mei'” Actually, I believe Shakespeare again plagiarized, being that the Beijing style opera predates Shakespeare by a few millennia.
The event was attended by local dignitaries Morgan Hill Mayor Dennis Kennedy and his wife Eileen. Seated with the Kennedys were Gavilan College President Steve Kinsella and his wife Linda, who was wearing a gorgeous Chinese silk dress with red and cream fabric adorned with gold decorative thread.
Judge Sharon Chapman shared a table with dressed-for-the occasion Department of Justice employee Mike Sweeney and his wife Betasha Louie. Sweeney wore a handsome male version of the Chinese dress crafted with black silk and red decorative thread.
Lauren and Brett Welch of Morgan Hill filled their plates at the best Chinese buffet line in town. Lauren was there no doubt doing character research for her upcoming novel (title yet to be determined). One of the few non-Asians to understand the opera’s supertitles was Robert Hennings, newly retired brother of Morgan Hill’s John Hennings who escorted his friend Sherry to the dinner. Robert Hennings, previously a semi-pro baseball player turned retired entrepreneur, has traveled extensively in Asia and picked up on the language enough to impress me.
President and founder of Asians for a Better Community, Rosemary Kamei admits to struggling with her mastering of the Chinese language but is encouraged to see Morgan Hill’s success in forming a Chinese language school. Families came from as far away as South San Jose, Hollister, San Juan Bautista and Gilroy to celebrate their heritage.
Celebrating her heritage down the hall on Saturday night in the Hiram Morgan Hill Room was 13-year-old Alexandra Mandel. Mandel accepted the responsibility of coming to Commandment age and celebrated with her congregation a Bat Mitzvah. The room at the community center was decorated with balloons, candles and a disc jockey. The party after the ceremony was attended by friends and relatives including Barbara Yazman, Lori Mains, John and Jill Paveza, Marissa Campi, Jennifer Williams, Katie Helland, Page Soles, Camille Schwartz and Oriana and Charissa Hosseini to name just a few. Alexandra’s father and local actor Peter Mandel looked as proud as any papa could when he realizes his daughter is growing up (and the college bills are due soon). Alex and her friends danced way past my exit and into the night of responsibility.
Congratulations, Alex.
Ciao for now.
