Feed Me Seymour!
Miss Pennsylvania, Tanya Lehman, with the Lion

      This year’s Chinese New Year’s Banquet, celebrating the Year of the Dog, 4704, returned to the Syria Shriners Center in Cheswick with great success on Saturday evening, January 28th.

Emcees Sally Wiggin  and Karen Yee

      The 200+ guests mingled while munching on hors d’oeuvres, marking their bids for the silent auction.  The evening’s celebrity emcee was Ms. Sally Wiggin of WTAE-TV with special appearances by Congresswoman Melissa Hart, Miss Pennsylvania Tanya Lehman, and Miss Pennsylvania Teen Inessa Rodriguez.

Melissa Hart (right)  presents Congressional Medals

Inessa Rodriguez, Miss Pennsylvania Teen (left),
Julienne Shaw, former Miss Pennsylvania Teen (ctr.),  and Tanya Lehman, Miss Pennsylvania (right).

      The Mandarin Gourmet provided a delicious dinner between the award presentations and two sets of very diverse and entertaining performances which included traditional lion and folk dances, yo-yo and martial arts exhibitions, and a piano concerto.

Lotus Blossom performs the Scarf Dance.


Chinese Yo-Yo exhibition

Mulan

Jingnan Hou performs Mendelssohn’s
Andante and Rondo Capriccioso, Op. 14

Tang Soo Do

Blossom Finale

      The content of the souvenir program (OCA 2006 Banquet Program) which can be downloaded from the OCA’s website, includes photographs which did not make it into the printed version.  Additionally, the video montage (OCA 2006 New Years Lobby Display) highlighting the evening’s program as well as previous performances and activities by the youths in the OCA may be downloaded from the website. 

All’s well that ends well.