News Roundup: Nominate a Biz, Filipino Fest, Journey of Light

City Seeks Legacy

Business Nominees

The City of Boston is seeking applications for the Legacy Business Program, in which the city highlights “staples of the community, which provide consistency and comfort in the lives of residents.”

The city is looking for nominees by Oct. 31. The business must be located in Boston and have been in operation for at least 10 years.

Winsor Dim Sum Café is an example of one of the inaugural winners of the City of Boston Legacy Business Program and other winners in the first three years of the program include Mei Sum Bakery and Peach Farm Restaurant.

“We believe that celebrating these businesses can help turn our neighborhoods into destinations. With increased visibility and technical assistance, our goal is to ensure that these Legacy Businesses avoid displacement, grow their influence, keep residents employed, and enrich the cultural vibrancy of the city of Boston,” wrote Aliesha Porcena, director of Small Business for the City of Boston, about the program.

For more, see boston.gov/legacy.

Filipino American Fest

Food, fun, games — and a dash of politics — will be on tap for this year’s annual Filipino American Festival at Harvard Square Oct. 12.

The fourth Filipino American festival to hit the square in as many years will include Filipino musician Jay R — dubbed “The Philippines’ King of R&B” — and a slated appearance by progressive politician Sen. Risa Hontiveros, who has served as a Philippines senator since 2016.

Called by organizers as the biggest Filipino festival in New England, the event will be part of the 46th Annual Oktoberfest and Honk! Parade at Harvard Square.

The festival will also include games and contests, food tables, and music by performing artist Maria Mendonca.

In case of rain, the event will be Oct. 13.

For more, see the Harvard Square Philippine American Alliance at https://hspaa.org/.

Changes at CPA

The Chinese Progressive Association has announced that its longtime leader, Karen Chen, plans to transition out of the executive director position after being with the agency on and off since 1997. The group is now looking for a new director. The CPA has been a longtime advocate for worker’s rights, Chinatown residents and small businesses for decades. Please stayed tuned for more in a later edition of Sampan.

NAAAP at Made in Boston

The Made in Boston Festival will highlight and support local Asian and Pacific Islander American-owned small businesses at Faneuil Hall Marketplace on Sept. 20, from 11 a.m.

“Our goal is to amplify AAPI voices, foster economic empowerment, and create a space where culture and commerce thrive side by side,” wrote the organizer, the Boston chapter of the National Association of Asian American Professionals.

For email unchartedventures@naaapboston.org

Asian American Ballet Award

The Mass Cultural Council’s Creative Experiences program and the Asian Community Fund at the Boston Foundation have in total awarded the Asian American Ballet Project $10,000.

“We are grateful for Asian American Ballet Project’s leadership in amplifying (Asian and Pacific Islander American) visibility, leadership, and belonging,” said Danielle Kim, executive director of the Asian Community Fund, in a statement.

The funding will support the dance project’s fourth annual summer concert, which is expected to bring in up to 300 live audience members and more than 100 virtual attendees. The concert “combines classical ballet technique with original choreography inspired by Asian American stories and perspectives, offering audiences experiences largely absent from traditional ballet repertoire,” according to the dance group.

“Investing in the Asian American Ballet Project means investing in the future of the arts in Massachusetts. This small company is making a big impact by bringing fresh voices to ballet and reflecting the diversity of our communities,” said State Representative Lisa Field (3rd Bristol District) in a statement.

Asian American Ballet Project, founded in 2022, calls itself the first Asian American ballet company.

Journey of Light

A “Journey of Light: A 1975 Memory Field” will take over Town Field Park in Dorchester with a temporary arts installation of illuminated conical hats from Sept. 20 to Oct. 6, with an opening reception on Sept. 28 at 6 p.m.

The art exhibit is part of the 1975: A Vietnamese Diaspora Memorial. This April marked a half-century since refugees had started to escape from Vietnam after the end of the war to the U.S. and elsewhere.

Miss Chinese Boston

The Miss Chinese Boston Coronation will be held at the Empire Garden Restaurant in Boston on Oct. 5 at 6 p.m. The event, whose theme this year is “Celebrating Beauty, Brains & Brilliance,” is presented by the Chinese American Heritage Foundation and the Chinese American Citizens Alliance Boston. For more information, see https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/miss-chinese-boston-coronation--2025 — A.S.

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