Quail Brook Senior Center Celebrates Chinese New Year With Food, Singing, Crafts

Added by Bill Bowman on February 1, 2014.
Saved under Social

The Year of The Horse was rung in Jan. 31 at the Quail Brook Senior Center in Somerset.

About 83 people from Franklin, Manville and South Bound Brook attended, said Allyson Toth, the center’s director.

For the event, the center’s main room was decorated with Chinese art and a stereo played Chinese folk music There was even a rendition of Chinese folk songs, sung a Capella, by Somerset resident Grace Hsu.

The group was also taught Chinese calligraphy, which they used to make themselves large bookmarks.

Toth read some Chinese trivia to the crowd, which later received a quick lesson in how to use chopsticks. That came in handy for lunch, because there was no silverware served.

Speaking of lunch on the menu was beef stir-fry, vegetable tofu and, for those with more Western tastes, roast beef and swiss cheese sandwiches. There were also almond cookies and fortune cookies served.

Toth said 95-year-old Cheng-Pang Chin wrote Chinese New Year’s greetings on cards and presented them in traditional red envelopes for all the attendees.

Toth said the center tries to acknowledge special days observed by the many cultures represented by the township’s senior citizens.

Along with Hanukkah and Christmas celebrations, she said the center also held a Diwali celebration in the fall.

“We’re trying to celebrate everything,” she said.

Also assisting Toth in the planning for the Jan. 31 celebration were Laura Yang and Judy Miao, Toth said.