Please come join us catching up with old friends and making new friends at the annual “Food, Fun and …..” party at the Home of Chris Reid, Friday, July 4th.  This is a great afternoon of Independence Day fun combined with a kick off to Pride Weekend. There is swimming all day starting at 2 p.m. with a barbecue meal at 5 p.m. Enjoy the sunshine until about 8 p.m. when the party ends and we can head over to the fireworks shows or get an early start on Pride Weekend Festivities.  All that is needed is you! Food and beverages are al provided. However, if you have a special Independence Day dish would like to share then feel free to bring it.  Atlanta's own DJ Nat is working the dance floor and spinning pool side.

Where: Chris Reid's House (address will be sent out via email a few days before the event)
Parking (very important): Please do NOT park on Chris' street. We are requested to park at the elementary school near the entrance to Chris' subdivision. Chris is providing security at the parking lot and a SUV shuttle. We can either take the short walk from the school or take advantage of the SUV shuttle which will be continuously running back and forth to the house. Please note that it's very important that we don't park on the streets as the congestion is an inconvenience to Chris' neighbors, creates a hazard for emergency vehicles and can be dangerous to our members. Chris has gone to a lot of trouble to remedy situation so please take advantage of it.
When: July 4, 2008 (FRI) - 2:00pm to 8:00pm. Swimming starts at 2:00 pm, barbecue dinner at 5:00 pm.
Food: All food is provided by Chris Reid. Barbecue dinner will start at 5:00 pm. While not necessary, if you have a special Independence Day dish or desert you would like to share with everyone, please feel free bring it.
Drinks: Beverages are provided by Chris Reid.
DJ: Atlanta's own DJ Nat will be spinning the tunes pool side and on the dance floor.

Fireworks: Fireworks have historically been a part of our fun.  However, with the continued drought and the inherent dangers with the show we have decided the risk is too great to honor that tradition this year.  Let’s do a rain dance and bring it back for next year. We can finish early enough to make it to one of the fireworks shows hosted by the city.

If you haven't already signed up for the email notifications, you can do so by using the form at the top of the events page.

Show your Pride a little early this year at the A&F Stonewall Party. The Stonewall riots gained worldwide recognition and were pivotal in the advancement of the gay rights movement. To commemorate the riots, we will have some unique activities at the party. Be sure to brush up on your Stonewall history. Bring a few dollars for bail in case you are "locked up" in our Stonewall jail or want to have your favorite A&F member "locked up". Don't worry, we are only talking about a couple of dollars and the money will go to ifCON. This is a swim party, so bring your swimsuits if you would like to take advantage of the pool. The party starts at 2:00 pm and the potluck dinner will be at 6:00 pm.

Where: Jim and Sean's (address will be sent out via email a few days before the event)
When: June 21, 2008 (SAT) - starts at 2:00 PM. Dinner will begin at 6:00 PM.
Food: Provided by Asians & Friends. We will be grilling Hamburgers and Hot Dogs for everyone. Munchies will also be provided. While not necessary, if you have a special dish or desert you would like to share with everyone, please feel free bring it.
Drinks: You can bring your own drinks or take advantage of the "ifCON donation bar". Beer, wine and soft drinks will be available for which we request small donations to ifCON.

If you haven't already signed up for the email notifications, you can do so by using the form on the events page.

June 21-29, 2008

LINKS:
• iCON 2008 Berlin http://icon2008.lyc-germany.org
• Asians and Friends Berlin - LYCB http://asiansandfriends.de
• Long Yang Club http://longyangclub.org

Start summer with a splash at the Memorial Day Weekend Party. Bring your swimsuits and dive into some fun. Even if you don't want to swim, you can still join in on the fun. The party starts at 2:00 pm and dinner will be at 6:00 pm.

Where: Jim and Sean's (address will be sent out via email a few days before the event)
When: May 24, 2008 (SAT) - starts at 2:00 PM. Dinner will begin at 6:00 PM.
Food: Potluck - please bring a dish to share.
Drinks: You can bring your own drinks or take advantage of the "ifCON donation bar". Beer, wine and soft drinks will be available for which we request small donations to ifCON.

If you haven't already signed up for the email notifications, you can do so by using the form at the top of this page.

DJ Kaze (kah'-zeh) will be providing the tunes for our enjoyment. He has been spinning and producing for five years, turning out sets for a variety of clubs and parties. He has spun at private events for HRC and A Legendary Event, Atlanta's premier event planner and caterer. He went international in 2004, when his beats were featured at The Village nightclub in Osaka, Japan. And throughout 2006, he was a regular fixture in the booth overlooking Atlanta's newest dance floor at Amsterdam-Atlanta. As a musician and on-the-fly composer, he has worked with Atlanta's top-rated comedy improv troupe, Whole World Theatre (www.wholeworldtheatre.com), for the past decade and continues to DJ and play keyboards there one weekend a month. DJ Kaze was also the official DJ for the 2007 Jerusalem House Halloween Bash (www.jerursalemhouse.org).

The ifCON steering committee has organized a field trip to visit the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir (the new Hindu temple in Lilburn) on Sunday, May 18 at 11 am. This will be a guided tour, which is free. We would like to promote this event to the general membership as it should be a great cultural experience. I have provided an estimate of 25 members for the tour, but will need to provide an update a few days before the visit, so anyone interested in joining us for this event should RSVP to Jeff Cordry We plan to meet at Jeff's place in Midtown between 9:30 and 10am and carpool to the temple, which is about an 18 mile drive (estimated 30 minutes). Anyone not interested in carpooling could also meet us there by 10:45am. Keep in mind this is a guided tour, so please try to arrive early.

The following are some suggestions/guidelines for our visit which I have received: There is no charge for group visits. However, each member of your group can help us serve the community by bringing a vegetarian canned food item during their visit. We will have a collection bin for the items. Thank you. In order to make your visit enjoyable for all of us please note the following information and guidelines: Shorts, skirts, and sleeveless tops are not allowed. Photography and videography is not allowed from the podium level and inside the Mandir. All visitors must remove their shoes when they enter the Mandir. Shoe racks are located within the Mandir. It is recommended that everyone wears socks as the marble inside the Mandir gets cold during the winter. Handicap ramp way is available for those who can not climb stairs, and we also have elevator access in the Mandir. The structure is made of stone, so we request everyone to be extra careful and use handrails when possible to prevent injuries. We have ample parking space for cars, vans, or buses. When you arrive, please inform our volunteer at the entrance that you have arrived.
 

You won't want to miss this sizzling event. The party will feature one of Atlanta's hottest strippers. The proceeds from the event will go to support ifCON 2009 Atlanta - Celebrating iCON 2009 and International Friendship Weekend (more information can be found on our home page). A special thanks to Charles Hacker for hosting the party and providing the services of the stripper. This is sure to be one steamy event.

Where: Charles Hacker's House (address will be sent out via email a few days before the event)
When: May 4, 2008 (SUN) - starts at 7:00 PM
Admission: $10.00 to support ifCON
Food: Supplied by your ifCON Steering Committee Members
Drinks: The "ifCON donation bar" will be available. Beer, wine and soft drinks will be available for which we request small donations to ifCON.

If you haven't already signed up for the email notifications, you can do so by using the form at the top of this page.
 

Celebrate the Thai New Year/Songkran with us. Songkran is one of the biggest holiday for Thais and celebrated from April 13th to 15th. Traditionally Thais would  pour water (gently) on street pedestrians' shoulders and wish them a prosperous new year. But no one says Asians and Friends are traditional! So we'll be throwing water at each other instead. Sounds like fun, right?  

Thanks to everyone invovled in the pageant directly or indirectly: the contestants, the generous sponsors, CPACS, the volunteers, Jungle Club/Wild Mustang staff and the AE Board. Well done everyone! Same time next year????

Be sure to take a look at the Pageant pictures in the Gallery section.

Here are the results of the pageant:

We're inviting all Asian social services providers, groups, and individuals to come together and walk on October 6th. Community groups are encouraged to bring their banners to show their presence in the Atlanta community. Registration begins at 9am followed with a short opening ceremony at 9:45am. The walk starts at 10am. Light breakfast, refreshments and T-shirt will be provided to walkers.

Join us afterwards and enjoy Asian Food and Bubble Tea Drink from community vendors. There will also be a health screening fair where you can get your Flu Shots and Blood Pressure Screened. Advocates will be on site so that you can learn the facts about the immigration, language access & voter registration rights issues. The TEA Walk will be the launch of the "Dollar a Person" Campaign to fight for immigrant rights. Bring your family as there will be children activities and games, too.

To pre-register yourself, your family or your group, please contact Marianne Chung by email at marianne.chung@cpacs.org or by phone at 770-936-0969 ext.22. Volunteers are needed, too!

Please pass along to others who may be interested.

Marianne Chung
Associate Director
Center for Pan Asian Community Services
3760 Park Avenue
Doraville, GA 30340
(T) 770-936-0969
(F) 770-458-9377
www.cpacs.org

All that is needed is YOU! Food, beverages, and fireworks are all included. However, if you have a special Independence Day dish you would like to share, then feel free to do so.

Atlanta's own DJ Nat is working the dance floor.

According to David Magazine (Sept. 2006), DJ Kaze is "...a new local DJ who's starting to make heads turn with his sounds."

DJ Kaze (kah'-zeh) has been spinning and producing for five years, turning out sets for a variety of clubs and parties. He has spun at private events for HRC and A Legendary Event, Atlanta's premier event planner and caterer. He went international in 2004, when his beats were featured at The Village nightclub in Osaka, Japan. And throughout 2006, he was a regular fixture in the booth overlooking Atlanta's newest dancefloor at Amsterdam-Atlanta. As a musician and on-the-fly composer, he has worked with Atlanta's top-rated comedy improv troupe, Whole World Theatre (www.wholeworldtheatre.com), for the past decade and continues to DJ and play keyboards there one weekend a month. DJ Kaze is also the official DJ for the 2007 Jerusalem House Halloween Bash (www.jerursalemhouse.org).

Scout leader, Dan Kennedy, will lead a walking tour of historic Midtown Atlanta sites. Dan is a NATIVE Atlantan, full of insights on little-known Atlanta points of interest. We will meet 10:00 AM at the parking garage of the Prudential Realty office located at 1409 Peachtree Street, Atlanta, GA 30309 (678) 895-9093.

Entry #2 was chosen by votes from this party as the winner for the T-Shirt Design Contest. T-Shirts using the winning design will be printed for the Pride Party in June.

We also celebrated Asian & Pacific Islander Heritage Month (May)!

As part of the "RICE Matters" (Reduce Infection through Comprehensive Education), Yotin gave us a "hands-on" demonstration of safe sex practices! I'm sure there will soon be pictures in the gallery that will document all of the things we learned!

We also have to thank Yotin for his gracious hospitality and his great food! He had prepared so much good food: garlic chicken, spring rolls, fried rice, stuffed jalepeno peppers and brownies! I can assure you that I ate my fair share of everthing! Thanks Yo! I can't wait for Yo's next event!!

CPACS was the event Sponsor with partnership with Asian Express & Friends Atlanta, United Way and Atlanta AIDS Partnership Fund.