Group photo showing about 1/2 of the 90 attending the 4th annual Heritage Picnic on 8/2/15 at Cousler Park, York, PA hosted by Philippine American Heritage Council.
State Rep. Stan Saylor, County Judge Candidate Chris Menges, York Sheriff Richard P. Keuerleber, DJ with Music, Philippine Heritage Food, GOP County Chairman at Cousler Park
The Fourth Annual Heritage Picnic of Philippine American Heritage Council was held Sun., Aug. 2 at Cousler Park, 1060 Church Rd., York PA, 12 noon to 5 PM with a 2 PM program which included two different Philippine Dance Troupes, a professional DJ with a variety of music, a variety of foods from the Philippines including the famous “Lumpia” spring roll, a charcoal barbecue grill with hot dogs, chicken and burgers, and speeches by a state legislator, candidate for County Judge, the County Sheriff and a political party county chairman. The expanded “mobile” Philippine American Heritage Museum was on display. A 32 page Souvenir Journal was provided to attendees.
State Representative Stan Saylor, making his first appearance before the group, delivered keynote remarks on American Exceptionalism and explained the founding fathers’ vision of a legislature to check and balance the executive branch of government to help preserve freedom, a concept originally championed in the 800 years old Magna Charta in England as he described it. He said that in Pennsylvania the legislature has stopped the Governor from raising taxes.
Candidate for County Judge Chris Menges explained the need for York County to have a judge to focus on family law and helping children, which has been his focus for 38 years as an attorney. York County GOP Chairman Alex Shorb spoke on how competing political parties give people choices and how this helps assure freedom. And he brought registration forms to support his strong pitch for everyone to register to vote in elections as part of your civic duty. Sheriff Richard P. Keuerleber spoke about the role of the Sheriff in York County.
The hit of the picnic was performances by two different Philippine Dance troupes: Barangay Friends n Family Assoc. dance troupe and the Kalayaan Chorale and Dance Troupe sponsored by the Philippine American Heritage Council.
The Philippine American Heritage Council in the past three years has been addressed by Congressman Scott Perry, State Representatives Seth Grove, Kristin Hill and Kate A. Klunk and the Democratic Party nominee for State Senator, Linda Hill. Candidates from both parties and the two major party county chairmen have been invited each year to speak at the picnic. Richard Buck of Virginia, a member of the organization’s national board of directors was also in attendance, together with Ronald Wilcox of Virginia, Executive Director of the parent non-profit organization.
The Chairman of the Philippine American Heritage Council was keynote speaker May 24 at the U.S. Navy Supply Corps Assembly in Mechanicsburg for their annual celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.
Last week after the shooting of four Marines and one Navy sailor the Philippine American Heritage Council delivered flowers and a message of support to local Military Recruiter offices. Their posterized message left outside the offices with the flowers said in part, “Our country of origin, the Republic of the Philippines, is free thanks to armed Americans in WW2. We could never have been free without you. God bless America.”
A second display of the mobile Philippine American Heritage Museum occured during the 39th Annual Red Lion Street Fair where a new, one day Exhibit was on display dedicated to the Santo Nino (Holy Child, Jesus), which commemorates the introduction of Christianity in the Philippines. The Museum and Exhibit were sponsored by “Hermana Mayor” of the “Sinulog in August” celebration, Amalia Gohn, with the display setup in front of her Amalia Beauty Boutique at 36 North Main Street, Red Lion, PA.
The Sinulog Festival in Cebu, Philippines, has attracted as many as 5 million people annually. This one day Exhibit and display from 9 AM to 4 PM attracted Americans of Philippine Ancestry from around south central PA as far away as the state capital. An altar displayed a two foot sized Santo Nino at the Museum Pavilion.
(For inquiries about participation in future PAHC events or just to stay informed you may either JOIN as an Associate Member or Subscribe to the free E-Newsletter, see upper left corner of this website or write Chairman@PhilippineAmericanHeritage.org).
The Council is open to membership for Americans interested in the Philippines, as well as Americans of Philippine ancestry. They are especially interested to find new members to expand their Kalayaan Choral and Dance Troupe and who would like to participate in future gatherings. There is also a free E-Newsletter for those who simply wish to stay informed. More at http://PhilippineAmericanHeritage.org.
