More than 170 people – including a newborn baby and a dozen plus-80-year-olds – gathered for the Gom Benn Village Society’s very joyous Lunar New Year Banquet March 1 at the NBC Seafood Restaurant in Monterey Park.
It was a notable event in many ways, in addition to the fine food and fond company. In a pleasant surprise, the sizable turnout was much greater than expected necessitating the addition of a second banquet room to accommodate all the reservation requests.
Back on the Calendar
It was the first banquet – the first event of any kind – organized by the new Village Society leadership headed by President Kent Lee, Vice President Courtney Lewis and Secretary Ben Wong.
As planned by a committee headed by Andrea Young and Shirley Hoskin, the banquet was highlighted by a “lei sees” for our seniors, artful activities for the youngest attendees, and raffles with opportunities for everyone to win prizes.
Yorba Linda Mayor Jennifer Lim (one of the daughters of former GBVS President William Wong, who attended this year’s banquet) presented a proclamation honoring the Gom Benn organization.
Featuring Family Trees
The event introduced genealogist Chi Tung, who has recently researched the family trees of our Gom Benn ancestors. Many of the family trees were displayed on charts displayed at the banquet, which were prepared by Chi Tung and Brian Wong, a member of the Gom Benn family who has traced his family tree in great detail.
The revitalized Gom Benn Village Society is planning to host more events in the coming months – and also looking forward to hosting another successful Lunar New Year banquet next year.
Below is a photo gallery of attendees (including a photo of Master of Ceremonies and GBVS Secretary Ben Wong). There were other attendees, including many children. Respecting their privacy, we are not posting photos with children.
