Tag Archives: Feast Of Lanterns

The Opinions Of A Few Affect Us All

Posted on by

Not even P.G. is safe from bitter sorrow created by country & western dances.

a group calling it the “Coalition for Asian Justice” said the event should “end permanently.” The Feast of Lanterns “appropriates Chinese culture and history, causes deep hurt to Asians and has no relationship to anything Chinese,” the group declared. “Continuation of the Feast of Lanterns will only perpetuate the bitter sorrow it has caused.”

And Jenny McAdams jumps at the chance to virtue signal

After public comments, city councilperson Jenny
McAdams also apologized for the event. “I am very sorry
for the pain the event has caused,” McAdams said. “It’s
time for the city to take this important step toward healing
and atonement.” McAdams said she was sorry for participating in the event

The Opinions Of A Few Affect Us All

Letters From The Editor – Canceling Feast Of Lanterns

Posted on by

History being rewritten. Jenny McAdams seems to hate the feast.

FOL mug

 

Lantern festival honors Chinese
Lantern Festival celebrations began around 2,000 years ago during the Han Dynasty (202 BCE-220 CE). The holiday’s exact origins are somewhat unclear. Several different origin stories are used to explain where the festival came from. One of the most common stories is that Emperor Ming was a supporter of Buddhism and after he learned that it was customary for Buddhist monks to light lanterns on the 15th day of the first lunar month, he decreed that imperial palaces and individual households should do the same. This concept lives on as today’s Lantern Festivals.

The woke people who want to stop the Feast of Lanterns in Pacific Grove may be trying to end a longtime Chinese custom. What gives them the right to dictate what should be canceled as part of their cancel culture. I have always believed that the Feast of Lanterns honored the Chinese people and their decedents who settled in Pacific Grove. Why do so many traditions and customs have to be removed from our lives?

— Vince Tuminello, Pacific Grove

Cancel Feast of Lanterns?
First, the PG city council unanimously endorsed transforming the Monarch Inn into an ocean view homeless shelter, without the knowledge of the owners. Now, PG Councilwoman Jenny McAdams, along with 300 whining woke malcontents who signed a petition, want to permanently cancel the Feast of Lanterns due to alleged “cultural appropriation” of Chinese culture.

In the era of wokeness, it’s suddenly racist to enjoy and explore other cultures? Does McAdams and her followers want to further deprive PG of needed tax revenue and the income for the vendors at such events?

These whiners should stop ordering Chinese, Italian, Thai and Mexican food for fear of being called misappropriating bigots.

Maybe they should pool their money and buy the Monarch Inn so they can have a safe space to pout.

— Gregory D. Lee, Pebble Beach

Letters From The Editor – Canceling Feast Of Lanterns

Feast Of The Woke

Posted on by

It’s the last Saturday in July 2021 and not a hint of anything Feast Of Lanterns on the streets. They say the were not sure if there was going to be a feast so no one got a permit.

FOL 1 2021

And it would cost $2,5000 to put up banners or lanterns. But we got banners to celebrate internal combustion powered personal motor cars. How substainable can that be?

FOL 2 2021

I’d say that the people put in charge are working to cleanse the FOL of all it’s perceived racist cultural misappropriation and sterilize the celebration. No corny stories, no jewel tinted gowns. No Torii gates. No belly dancers. No showing of affection between man and woman. No dragon. No Chinese fonts. No fun. Just a lecture telling you to be ashamed using a collection of folk tales for selfish entertainment.

Stick a fork in it, the Feast Of Lanterns is done and gone forever it seems.

Feast Of The Woke

Feast Of Lanterns Takes A Step Off The Pier

Posted on by

New story line will be Chang and his lover Prince Seagull escaping the evil unsubstainable blogger and running off to hide in various STRs.

FOL mug

Coleman said the annual event should celebrate the history of Pacific Grove and hopes changes to the pageant and story will teach the community more about the cultural groups that contributed to the Monterey Peninsula and P.G.

The board president said the festival would have a stronger emphasis on the history of the area, including the Chinese fishing village that stood for 50 years on the shoreline where Stanford’s Hopkins Marine Station now resides.

Educating the community through Gerry Low-Sabado’s annual Walk of Remembrance is a good place to start and the Feast of Lanterns board has participated the last four years Coleman said.

Feast Of Lanterns Takes Steps Off The Pier

No Early Beach Reservations At Feast Of Lanterns

Posted on by

And this time, we really mean it.

Empty Beach Tarps

Moe is one of the culprits it seems.

Moe Ammar, president of the Pacific Grove Chamber of Commerce and a fan of the pageant for 32 years, said he’s setting up shifts for family members an hour at a time.

“The chamber is supportive of the new initiative,” Ammar said. “The board of directors of the Festival of Lanterns has been going to the city for years talking about this.”

The decision is causing a bit of a dust-up in the community. Ammar said the neighborhood social media platform Nextdoor has been lit up in past days with debates over the decision.

And City Manager Where’s Ben Harvey equates it to blocking the sidewalks. See anyone picking up tables, signs, trash cans and putting them in a collection spot?

In the days leading up to the festivities, unattended items like blankets, tarps, chairs or cones will be picked up by city crews and taken to a collection bin in the park. Signs are posted at the park to alert attendees of the new prohibition, said Ben Harvey, Pacific Grove’s city manager.

“This is a public area and it’s no different than putting out chairs on sidewalks,” Harvey said. “They don’t have the right to do that. It prevents access to public property and no one has the right to claim the area for their own.”

No Early Beach Reservations At Feast Of Lanterns

PG Police On Maximum Enforcement. For Blankets Saving Places for FOL

Posted on by

Last year they said you can save spots at your own risk.

Dawn on the day of the beach entertainment is the only time you can stake out a place. And someone has to stay with the blankets. I bet there will be some exceptions.
Ufos Take Beachgoers

Last year dozens of blankets were laid out on the beach a week before the event. Police say that is not allowed this year.

PG Police On Maximum Enforcement. For Blankets Saving Places for FOL

P.G. Police: Your Feast Of Lanterns Blanket Beach Reservation Means Nothing

Posted on by

I was a family spot saver for the Feast Of Lanterns for many years. On Friday night I would put down a tarp of the ground and then come back at about 11:00 am on Saturday to enjoy the day at the beach. I hated the few saved spots that were only occupied from 7:00 pm to closing. It’s gotten crazier with people saving places earlier in the week.

Ufos Take Beachgoers

We want you to know, and please share with others, that if you place blankets on the beach you do so at your own risk. Be aware the tide might take blankets, other visitors who want to hang out or swim at the beach may move them, and so on.

Our message to staff regarding calls from community members wondering if they may move a blanket to hang out at the beach is, they most certainly can.

P.G. Police: Your Blanket Reservation Means Nothing

Get Ready For Prince Topaz And His Lover Chang

Posted on by

P.C. marches on in the Feast Of Lanterns

“For the last five years people have been asking ‘Is there a way that young men could be involved with the Royal Court?’ So this year the Royal Guard is new,” said Coleman. “Overall with the Feast of Lanterns, we’ve been trying to become more inclusive.”

The Royal Court and Royal Guard is made up of young men and women who applied to serve as ambassadors of history and role models for the local children in Pacific Grove.

Get Ready For Prince Topaz And His Lover Chang

10,000 Attend Feast Of Lanterns Show

Posted on by

Attributed to being one of the few free fireworks shows in the state, I say it’s the bellydancers.

Although it might seem confusing to an outsider, being the queen — or one of her six princesses who make up the Royal Court — is a big deal in America’s Last Hometown.

The Royal Court is selected by a committee of local business people, former Royal Court members and nonprofit board members. Although the festival held a swimsuit contest in the 1930s, middle and high school students in Pacific Grove are now selected for excelling academically and how active they are in community service and after-school activities.

10,000 Attend Feast Of Lanterns Show