Grants open new worlds at Waldinger

Armed with $3,000 in grant money, the Henry Waldinger Library will be offering more programs for residents in the coming months.

The Huntington Arts Council awarded the library $2,250 through the New York State Council on the Arts Decentralization Program. It will allow the library to host several presentations celebrating diversity.

“We’re trying to highlight the different cultures in Valley Stream,” library Director Mamie Eng said, “and encourage those people to come to the library.”

The library held its first program on Feb. 6 to celebrate the Chinese New Year. Students from the South High School Cultural Club performed a variety of Chinese dances for a crowd of more than 100 children and adults. Eng said in addition to several library regulars, many newcomers attended the performance.

Jeffery Hsi, advisor of the Cultural Club, said his students took some time after the presentation to teach children about the various dances. Participants got to learn how to flip the ribbons, wear the lion head, play the drums and use the yo-yos.

“I thought that it was extremely successful,” he said of the Feb. 6 performance. “My kids really enjoy to perform outside of school and showcase their talents.”

The Cultural Club will be back at the library on Feb. 27 to celebrate Holi, an Indian holiday. Students will perform various Bollywood dances. They will also do henna body art demonstrations, which is a technique used to create temporary tattoos using dyes from the henna plant.

Hsi said it will be a good opportunity for members of the community to learn about a holiday many people in the area celebrate. “Even though Valley Stream has a very large Indian populations,” he said, “not everyone knows about the Indian holidays.”

In March, there will be an Around the World musical program followed by a Latin jazz performance in April. A world story teller will come to the library in May.

The Cultural Club returns in September to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival, a 3,000-year-old tradition celebrated by the Chinese and Vietnamese cultures. The group’s final performance of the year will be in November for Diwali, a Hindu festival of lights.