ALTADENA — First Presbyterian Church of Altadena, which is composed of primarily Japanese and Asian members, invites the community to its annual Fall Festival on Saturday, Sept. 20, from 3 to 8 p.m.
This family-oriented celebration includes a bake shop and a gift shop featuring gift items, books, plants, and white elephant items. Also to be presented are a display of artwork of all media, children’s game booths with easy-to-win prizes, snow cones, and a raffle.
All persons are invited to enjoy a teriyaki or beef dinner, and chirashi. Or just relax with a fresh-off-the-grill hamburger or hot dog.
At 6 p.m. a Cultural Expo and Talent Show will present two very talented college students from Japan who are members of the CVS Leadership Institute, which the church is helping to host. CVS, which stands for “Character, Vision and Skill,” is a non-profit organization that offers students from Japan the opportunity to learn business and leadership skills in an American setting and through interacting with people at this church and other churches. The CVS is held in the summer, when Japanese college students are on vacation.
One member of the CVS Institute is Keiichi Nakamura, a heralded cellist, who attends Keio University and has been a featured artist with symphony orchestras throughout Japan. The second member is Nanaho Uchida, whose professional career is just taking off in the world of dance. While she specializes in jazz dancing, she has performed many forms of dance from classical Japanese to Latin salsa.
The Cultural Expo and Talent Show will also feature a wide variety of acts, including an alternative rock band and some talented church members and friends.
The festival is free and open to the public. The church is located at 2775 Lincoln Ave. (at Harriet Street) in Altadena. For more information, call (626) 791-4271.