N. Hempstead hosts Asian-American Festival

Lion dancers, henna body art and a lesson on how to make kimchee are some of the attractions planned for North Hempstead’s second annual Asian-American Festival next Saturday.

The event will be held at North Hempstead Beach Park on West Shore Road in Port Washington from noon to 6 p.m. The festival celebrates the cultures and cuisines of China, Japan, Korea, India and Pakistan.

The Red Cross will be collecting donations for Japan earthquake and tsunami relief, said organizer Maggie Yamamoto of Roslyn Heights.

Town Supervisor Jon Kaiman said the town’s rich diversity is “what gives our community more depth, more perspective.” North Hempstead’s population is nearly 15 percent Asian, according to the 2010 census. On Long Island, the Asian population has grown by 55.2 percent since 2000.

Kaiman said more than 4,000 people attended last year’s festival and he expects a larger turnout at this year’s, which town officials said will feature nearly twice as many vendors.

For more information, call 311 inside town boundaries or 516-869-6311 from outside locations.