History of the Chinese Cultural Society of Stockton (CCSS) Festival:

In honor of this country’s Bicentennial in 1976, the city of Stockton put out a call to various ethnic groups to participate in a city wide, celebratory parade. The members of the Chinese community who worked together on the parade received glowing accolades for their efforts.  It inspired those early pioneers to continue to present and share the Chinese culture to Stockton. Thus, the idea of a Chinese Festival was born.

The Chinese Benevolent Association and the founding members of the Chinese Cultural Society of Stockton worked to put on an innovative celebration in the hall of Confucius Church. It was a rousing success.

The first Festival set the framework for those that followed.  The hall was lined with booths selling culinary delights, Chinese vegetables, and many other cultural offerings. But the highlight of the Festival was the entertainment. The newly formed Chinese Folk Dance Troupe of Stockton had a venue to show off their skills. Authentic, elaborate Chinese fashions were brought to the stage, modeled by local residents. Lion dances, martial arts, and cooking demonstrations were all part of the line up.

The Chinese New Year Festival outgrew the Church hall after two years and was moved to the Civic Auditorium where it has remained until this year. Dr. Paul K. Yee bestowed the committee with its formal name, the Chinese Cultural Society of Stockton (CCSS), and a legacy began. Dr. George Wang and Shirley Ng diligently worked to achieve our non-profit status. Other founding members included Conrad Mar and Keith Wong.

When the ambitious undertaking of a Chinese New Year’s Parade was being discussed and planned, it was suggested that both events be held on the same day. Unfortunately, the CCSS board is, and was, a small group of individuals who did not believe that they could divide their time and do justice to both events on a single day.
 
In 2009, CCSS was informed that the Civic Auditorium would be undergoing much needed repairs and not be available in March 2010. The discussion to combine the Festival and Parade was once again addressed with a positive outcome.  Fate had played a hand into making CCSS move outside their comfort zone and take on a new venue.

This new collaboration is both thrilling and extremely terrifying for all of us in CCSS. We are old dogs who are learning new tricks! We hope that you will support us in this fledging effort and come and enjoy both the parade and festival on one big family filled fun day!