Year of the Monkey comes to Hot Springs

HOT SPRINGS – The Year of the Monkey and Chinese culture were celebrated in Hot Springs, Saturday, during the community’s annual Chinese New Year Celebration and community dinner.

The celebration was centered around a parade through downtown. The parade featured drummers, cymbal players, and other instruments, as well as flag bearers and even a Chinese dragon. Several local children, as well as a few adults, also dressed up as monkeys for the occasion – many of the monkeys had kazoos, which were used to join in on the music.

The parade started out front of Wall Street Place and moved down the stretch of Main Street to the intersection at Arlee. There, they played music as the dragon did several laps of the intersection, the dragon circling overhead like a bird on the air currents. After several circuits, the procession moved back up Main Street before turning down Wall Street toward the Symes, where the parade ended.

Later that evening, a community potluck dinner was held. Participants were encouraged to dress in Chinese attire and bring Chinese food as a contribution. A bonfire was held immediately after with musical performances.