Since many China experts came to the conference, Owensboro/Evansville Chapter decided to reach out to the community to educate students about China. Several speakers and presenters were sent to schools where there was captured audience even before the real conference started.

l. Tuesday, October 1 Dr. John Chang of Owensboro spoke on My Trip to Tibet with film clips, music, and ethnic clothing at Owensboro Community College. It was also open to the public. About 40 people attended.

2. Friday, October 4 Dr. Keith Krasemann of DuPage College in Chicago spoke on Shanghai Communiqué: Foundation for US-China Relations at Brescia University. Open to the public. About 80 people attended. Keith serves on USCPFA national board and was on the delegation to the 30th commemoration of Shanghai Communiqué in April, 2002.

3. Friday, October 4 Dr. Marilyn Gridley of University of Kansas presented Adventures in Chinese Art at Kentucky Wesleyan College. Open to the public. About 50 people attended. Marilyn used two slide projectors and focused on the Nelson-Atkins Museum s most prized Chinese sculpture, the stunning 8 seated image of the bodhisattva Guanyin dated ca. 1000AD.

4. Friday, October 4 Chinese musician Hong Shao of Lexington, Kentucky, demonstrated pipa at Tamarack Elementary School, Sorgho Elementary School, and Deer Park Elementary School which are all top schools in Kentucky. She not only played the popular Chinese musical instrument, but also tied in elements of Kentucky core content, since fifth graders are tested in the areas of arts and humanities. Music is one of the areas in arts. Over 200 students attended.

5. Friday, October 4 Charles Petersen of St. Paul, Minnesota brought a huge collection of Chinese kites and presented Chinese Kites and More to 6th, 7th, and 8th graders at Daviess County Middle School, Burns Middle School, and College View Middle School. About 900 students attended. Charles serves on USCPFA national board and drove 13 hours to Owensboro, Kentucky with the fabulous kites.

6. Friday, October 4 Keith Krasemann spoke on The China Problem, or the China Opportunity? at Apollo High School. Over 200 students attended.

MEDIA COVERAGE

An ad of one fourth of a page was in local newspaper Messenger Inquirer Sunday, September 29 and again on Friday October 4. It included information on all the free lectures at three colleges and conference sessions on Saturday, Oct. 5.

Top reporter Keith Lawrence of Messenger Inquirer wrote a special article Conference seen as lift to world profile to promote the conference with a picture of the Chinese pipa player Hong Shao and it appeared on Monday, September 30. M-I reporter Mark Cooper wrote an article on Keith Krasemann s lecture Americans need to do more to understand China, speaker says. Mark Cooper also wrote another article Chinese adoptions on the rise, which appeared on Oct. 6, Sunday with a beautiful picture of an American mother with her adopted Chinese girl. All these reports can be logged on www.messenger-inquirer.com.

Other than newspaper, TV station Channel 25 of CBS in Evansville, Indiana reported on Chinese musician Hong Shao. Channel 54 of Daviess County Public Schools reported on East Meets West which is the art exhibit that featured 15 Chinese watercolor paintings of students of Shanghai Art School and Tamarack Elementary School students artwork. Channel 8 interviewed president of Owensboro/Evansville Chapter, Winny Lin on the conference. Winny also was interviewed on the popular WBKR radio station on Oct. 4, Friday in Joe Lowe s morning show.

The media coverage was GREAT! Many people in the tri-state area of Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois learned a lot about Chinese culture and US-China Peoples Friendship Association.

ART EXHIBITS

There were two art exhibits put together in conjunction with the conference. One was a special exhibition of Chinese art from the collection of the Owensboro Museum of Fine Art. Exhibited in the John Hampden Smith House Decorative Arts Wing are more than a dozen works in porcelain, bronze, and fiber dating from the 17th and 18th centuries. Featured are a bronze Chinese Foo Dog and an intricately woven paper and silk scroll depicting a portrait of a Mandarin with foo banner. Delicately painted porcelain bowls, chargers and jardinières are complemented by finely executed 18th century silk embroidery. Conference participants were given a tour of the museum on Saturday, Oct. 5, after the conference and enjoyed the tour.

Another one was "East Meets West" in the mini-gallery of Ralph Center, Kentucky Wesleyan College. Fifteen Chinese watercolor scroll paintings donated by Shanghai Art School to the delegation of US-China Peoples Friendship Association in 1991 and 1995 and a group of artwork by Tamarack Elementary School students were exhibited side by side to compare and contrast different styles of artwork in the east and the west. Some of the work on both sides were done by students as young as five-year-olds. Since Kentucky started education reform ten years ago, students in public schools have made tremendous progress in the area of arts and humanities. Even kindergarten students learn to do work imitating famous artists such as Van Gough, George O'Keefe, and Pollack.

Our national board member Charles Petersen from St. Paul spoke at the reception. Daviess County Public School TV channel 54 did an interview. Daviess County Public Library also set special display of Feng Shui and books, reference on China to help the general public to learn about China. The whole Owensboro community has supported our 2002 Mid-west Regional Conference in many ways.

A variety of seminars were offered on Oct. 5, Saturday at the conference held at the Wendell Ford Center, second floor of the Owensboro Area Museum of Science and History. Public was invited to attend individual sessions of their interest. The sessions included the following:

l. Clearing Clutter with Feng Shui Principals by Sue Ruzicka, Ed.D, and Elaine Paris of Feng Shui, Etc. Cookeville, TN

2. Pagodas and Power-- by Dr. Marilyn Gridley of University of Kansas

3. Shanghai Communiqué: Foundation for US-China Relations by Dr. Keith Krasemann of DuPage College, IL

4. Minority-Han Relationships and the Politics of Identity: A Case Study of the Naxi Women of Lijiang, Yunnan, PR China By Marsha Smith of Augustana College, IL

5. Traveling in China--find out about USCPFA tours to China by Charles Petersen of St. Paul, MN

6. Issues and Concerns About Raising Adopted Chinese Children in the US panel discussion

panel includes an attorney, adoption agency director, parents and educators

7. Chinese Film Viewing and Discussion

Led by Dr. Shifen Gong of Bellarmine University, Louisville, KY. The audience watched "Not One Less".

The Conference Banquet

The highlight of the conference had to be the banquet Saturday night in the International Room A, Executive Inn Riverfront. While Irv Royal Bluegrass band played soft music in the background, close to 250 guests filled the spacious banquet room decorated with a number of Chinese paintings brought by Kitty Trescott, director of Center of Teaching about China, and several giant Chinese kites brought by Charles Petersen. Chinese lanterns and colorful umbrellas dangled from chandeliers. Candles and small Chinese and American flags were the centerpiece on 30 plus dinner tables draped with white tablecloth. Two huge flags brought by Charles set on the front stage, and a red banner "Long Live the Friendship between Chinese and American People". A corner of two wooden screens decorated with long fresh bamboo stalks, beautiful Chinese tables and chairs, accented with two pots of yellow chrysanthemums was available for people to take pictures just like if they were at proms. The whole banquet room looked simply elegant.

Local colleges also sent representatives. Dr. Jackie Addington, president of Owensboro Community College and her faculty seated at two tables, and Brescia University, Kentucky Wesleyan College faculty also seated at one table each. Daviess County Public School Superintendent Stu Silberman and his wife Kathy came to show their support. John Hager, founder of Public Life Foundation, also brought his friends and mingled with old and made new friends. You could see Chinese, Americans, and Chinese-Americans, all in one room and had a great time. There were about 180 adults and 60 plus children all together that night. It is truly an event for "Time to Connect".

l. My Old Kentucky Home--College View Middle School Girls Ensemble

2. Dragon Dance--Tri-state Chinese Cultural Association

3. Chinese Umbrella Dance--Owensboro Chinese Saturday Class

4. Jasmine--singing by Owensboro Chinese Saturday Class

5. Peacock Dance--by Tri-state Chinese Cultural Association

6. Clogging--Barry Lanham and the Footstompin' Express Cloggers

7. "Sagwa" --Evansville Chinese Saturday Class and parents

8. bluegrass music--Irv Royal Bluegrass Band

9. "The River Sleeps Beneath the Sky" in English and "Melody of the Youth" in Chinese by College View Middle School Girls Ensemble

10. Chinese Aborigines Dance--Christy Chang of Evansville, IN

ll. Chinese Aborigines Dance--Owensboro Chinese Saturday class and all

Owensboro/Evansville Chapter was very happy to have hosted 2002 Mid-west Regional Conference and look forward to 2004 conference by another chapter. Because of the conference, many people in the region have learned about US-China Peoples Friendship Association.

Winny Lin, Owensboro/Evansville Chapter USCPFA