Two Bridges Neighborhood Council (“Two Bridges”) invites you to our 11th Annual Marco Polo Festival with a gala dinner at 6:00 to 9:00 PM on the evening of October 22nd at the Golden Unicorn Restaurant.
Tickets can be purchased at tbncmarcopolo.org
This year’s dinner festivities will once again include the bestowal of the Marco Polo Silk Road Ambassador Awards, where exceptional local leaders/groups are honored in recognition of their outstanding contributions towards the promotion of harmony, goodwill, and cooperation of the two communities of Chinatown and Little Italy. The honored organizations are:
- THE NYPD ASIAN JADE SOCIETY and THE FDNY COLUMBIA SOCIETY
These organizations of police and firefighters promote the welfare and mutual wellbeing of their colleagues, but more than that, they also risk their lives everyday through sometimes dangerous situations they face fearlessly. We shall “douse” them with honor and praise, demonstrating appreciation on behalf of the Chinatown and Little Italy communities who hold them in great esteem” said Victor Papa, President of Two Bridges
Also to be acknowledged for many years of service to the Chinatown and Little Italy community:
- MONSIGNOR DONALD SAKANO, recently retired pastor of the Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral.
Mr. Papa added that “Monsignor was always interested in and sometimes sponsored efforts toward preserving the two iconic communities of Chinatown and Little Italy, especially those that promoted the prosperity of the local merchants and their families.
Finally due recognition of Think!Chinatown, which is a collective of neighbors and advocates working to keep Chinatown a vibrant place of inter-generational learning, cultural production, and civic engagement. Their mission is to attract and connect resources for Chinatown organizations and businesses through community outreach, enhanced visibility, and capacity-building. We so readily agree with those objectives and so part of the proceeds of this awards dinner will go to them, and
FEATURING: This year the Dinner will premiere a special composition by 11 year-old prodigy Jivan Ramesh, a student of the Two Bridges Music School, but now well beyond in musical expertise as noted by own self composed piece performed at Lincoln Center. He has composed a musical composition especially for the Marco Poll festival events, both street pageant on October 19th and the dinner on October 22nd, to be performed on the Chinese instrument, the guzheng (A Chinese plucked string instrument with a more than 2,500-year history) and the Italian Cello.