Inaugural Korean Cultural Festival held in La Cañada
The Kimeung Hwa Korean Dance Company performs the fan dance during the Korean Culture Festival at Memorial Park in La Cañada Flintridge on Saturday, September 26, 2015. The event was sponsored by the Korean American Federation of North L.A. and the Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation.
An estimated 1,200 area residents turned out to La Cañada’s Memorial Park on Saturday to participate in a daylong celebration of Korean culture, enjoying games, performances and art in what could become a new local tradition.
The inaugural Korean Cultural Festival, organized mainly by the Korean American Federation of North Los Angeles, drew large crowds to the park from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Other participating groups include the Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation of America, as well as the Korean Consulate General of Los Angeles and Korean Cultural Center of Los Angeles, who sponsored the event.
The idea, according to organizer Steve Park, was to introduce local communities to Korean Americans, some of whom may stick closely to those from their own culture. The Korean American Federation of North Los Angeles represents residents from La Cañada, Glendale, Burbank, La Crescenta/Tujunga, Pasadena and Arcadia.
“In this area, there is a large population of Korean Americans,” Park said. “Our kids, when they go to school, they’re mingled together. But the adults in the community still have a cultural barrier.”
The event also corresponds with the 70th anniversary of Korea’s independence from Japan in 1945, typically recognized on Aug. 15.
On Saturday, in addition to a range of activities, including Korean food tastings and a drawing contest, a morning ceremony was held to honor veterans of the Korean War and their families. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) helped welcome participants to the festival.
For the past three years, organizers worked jointly with area Armenian and Latino groups as the Joint Celebration of Community, Culture and Heritage to produce an annual Korean Armenian Cultural Festival held in La Crescenta.
But this year, when members of the Armenian community wanted to host their own individual event to commemorate the centennial anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, Park said Korean-American groups decided to create a new tradition.
“It was a wonderful time,” Park said Tuesday, adding that the event could likely become an annual tradition.