Good news! The pizza angel is coming again to a Hayfork Cooperative gathering, this year on Wednesday, December 18th from 7-9 pm. Free gourmet vegetarian and meat pizzas with trimmings will be served to all. The Lanziseras are again donating their comfortable coffeehouse at 7091 State Highway 3, in Hayfork for this Pizza Party. Any partiers who would like to provide a song or music are most welcome to do so.
A few days later the winter solstice marks the beginning of the sun’s light increasing in the northern hemisphere and appropriately the Hmong’s New Year, named Myob Zoo Xyoo Tshiab. This festive celebration is open to the public but we are specially invited by Yer Xiong and Choua Yang who spoke with their two Hmong American nieces about their experiences and culture to a packed house at Hayfork Cooperative’s November meeting. Many know them through their ‘Roll On’ café-- within Northern Delights Coffeehouse--and the delicious, exotic Hmong food they sell. This Hmong New Year celebration will be on Saturday December 21 from 10 am to Midnight in the commercial building of the Trinity County Fairgrounds, 6000 State Highway 3 in Hayfork. The morning will mostly be devoted to Hmong cultural traditions and the afternoon and evening to food, live performances, dancing, music and visiting.
In this dark, cold, slower time of year it is so good and wise that we take time to contemplate, act on and celebrate the righteous values and hopes we have for ourselves, humanity and the earth such as peace, kindness, fairness, generosity, love and our bonds with family and friends. Both Yer and Choua’s stories, and the superlative and delightful rendition of the ‘Sound of Music’ our friends and neighbors did helps to remind us to be grateful and to send ‘thoughts and prayers’ to those less fortunate such as the millions of current refugees, especially the children. Choua and Yer arrived in Minneapolis, fleeing war and persecution as children and went on to complete higher education, work for the Red Cross and state human services and now happily live among our mountains and rivers, as they did as children. The actual Von Trapp family, after escaping the Nazis, made it to the Green Mountains of Vermont where they well established near Stowe. Yes, with much to be grateful for and to celebrate, come enjoy a free pizza party!