Filipinos in Calif. South Coast to hold annual cultural bash

FACO WEBSITE

OCEANSIDE, California — Filipinos in Oceanside, third-largest city in San Diego County, California, will hold their annual Filipino Cultural Celebration Saturday, June 11, marking a 15-year partnership between the Filipino American Cultural Organization (FACO), the Oceanside Public Library and Friends of the Oceanside Public Library.

The festivities will run from 12:00 noon to 7:30 p.m., at the Oceanside Civic Center, Plaza and Library, 330 North Coast Highway in downtown Oceanside, California. The event is free and open to the public.  Additional funding for the event is provided by Tri-City Medical Center.

This year’s theme is “A Look into the Past, Present and Beyond.”  Vendor booths will showcase authentic Philippine handicrafts and offer native art, Filipino cuisine and a variety of products and services.

Visitors will be treated to a Filipino cultural fashion show modeling colorful regional costumes from around the archipelago and Philippine folk dances.

Special guest performers will include children’s author and storyteller Carol Cabrera, local pop-singer Amy Monson,and Hula, morning radio personality from 103.7 FM, as well as a variety of local Filipino American talents.

Other event highlights will include the 2016 Mrs. Fil-Am, Mrs. Golden and Platinum Fil-Am Senior, Little Miss Fil-Am, and Miss Pre-teen Fil-Am pageants.

The Library and volunteers will offer crafts and activities for children throughout the event, as well as Filipino displays inside the Library.  The evening will close with dancing to the Red, White & Blue Band in the Plaza.  This event is held each year on the Saturday closest to June 12, Philippine Independence Day.
Now in existence for 40 years, FACO is a 501c(3) non-profit organization whose platform includes youth education, disaster relief, and preservation and promotion of cultural heritage, as well as providing scholarships to Filipinos both in the USA and in the Philippines.

Visit www.filamcultural.com for more information about the event, to learn more about FACO, or to donate or volunteer; visit www.oceansidepubliclibrary.org to get directions to the Civic Center Plaza and Library site, or to link to any other Library or City of Oceanside information; and visit www.oplfriends.org to learn how to support Library programs and community partnerships.  To speak with someone about the Filipino Cultural Celebration, call FACO Event Committee co-chairs at 760-877-9216 or 760-583-1064, or Library Administration at 760-435-5560.