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Read the press release here.

Grace Meng to Lead New Elmhurst Lunar New Year Parade

ELMHURST — Newly-elected Rep. Grace Meng will be the grand marshal for a new Lunar New Year Parade, as part of Elmhurst's annual Lunar New Year Celebration.

Meng, who this year became the first Asian-American representative in New York's history, will lead the new parade on Feb. 9 from C.C. Moore Homestead Park, at Broadway and Elmhurst Avenue, down Broadway to St. James Episcopal Church, at 84th Street, where there will be a fair.

“I am incredibly honored and proud to serve as the first ever grand marshal for this terrific event,” Meng said in a statement. “I’m thrilled to be leading this year’s parade, and I look forward to ushering in the Year of the Snake with my constituents, colleagues and all who come out for this wonderful event.”

Now in its third year, the Elmhurst Lunar New Year Celebration was established in 2011 by Councilman Daniel Dromm, who represents the neighborhood and is chairman of the council's immigration committee.

The celebration is a way to acknowledge Elmhurst's growing Asian communities, Dromm said, and is co-sponsored by Asian Community United Society, a nonprofit that supports Asian immigrants.

This year's Lunar New Year Celebration will feature dragon dancers, drummers and the I.S. 145 marching band, alongside various community organizations.

“It is fitting that Congresswoman Grace Meng is our first-ever grand marshal in this Year of the Snake, which symbolizes gracefulness and intelligence,” Dromm said.

The festival begins at 11 a.m. in front of C.C. Moore Homestead Park, and the parade begins at 11:30 a.m.