Connecticut Cultural Heritage Arts Program (CHAP) Director Lynne Williamson will guide the third bus tour in a popular series from CHAP and Manchester Community College, exploring Connecticut’s vibrant Laotian community through history, art, and cuisine.   The tour takes place on Sunday, May 28, 2006, from 9 am – 4 pm.  Advance registration is required through Manchester Community College.  The fee is $75 and includes lunch.

The tour travels to the new Laotian temple and community center in Morris for the Water Purification Festival, a Buddhist celebration of spring and new beginnings.  Guests will attend the morning ceremony and view traditional Laotian folded paper ornaments, woodcarvings, and artisan booths. Howard Phengsamphone of the Lao Association of Connecticut will talk to visitors about this large and interesting community, and explain aspects of the ceremony.  The tour will then travel back to Hartford, where cultural leader and chef Manola Sidara will prepare Laotian food at her restaurant East West Grille, and offer a performance by young dancers from her group Lao Narthasin. Participants may want to bring cash for incidental purchases and offerings at the Temple and festival.

For more information about this spring’s series of Connecticut Folk Art and Festivals Bus Tours, please contact Lynne Williamson at 860-278-2044 x251 or lynne.williamson@icrweb.org.  To register please call Manchester Community College Continuing Education at (860) 512-3232 or (860) 512-2800.

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The Institute for Community Research is an independent research institute that conducts applied research and supports community enhancement programs on issues of health, education and cultural heritage. Its Connecticut Cultural Heritage Arts Program encourages and promotes traditional artists and their communities through an active process of documentation, technical assistance, and public presentations to bring their work and the history of their communities to new audiences.