April: Celebrating Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month

Monday, April 20, 2026

Doors Open at 6:30 pm

Enjoy complimentary refreshments and browse our partner tables.

Program  7:00-8:30 pm

Southridge Recreation Center

4800 McArthur Ranch Road, Highlands Ranch

$5 Donation Suggested at Door for non-HRHS members

Consider applying the Donation to Membership!    Click HERE for more info.

May is Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Be prepared to celebrate this special month in the Denver area by understanding the culture and significance of various events and activities.

Tonight’s program will be primarily focusing on Japanese culture and the Denver experience.  Although Japanese food and pop culture have gone “mainstream,” the history of Japanese Americans in Colorado is often overlooked. Gil Asakawa will present a talk that gives that history, including the incarceration of almost 10,000 people of Japanese heritage at Amache, one of ten incarceration sites established during WWII. The camp in southeastern Colorado near Granada is now designated as a National Historic Site. Gil will also talk about the Japantown area along Larimer Street that is now concentrated at Sakura Square, the hub of the local Japanese community.

ABOUT OUR SPEAKER: GIL ASAKAWA

Gil Asakawa is a cultural consultant, journalist, author and blogger whose topics include Japan, Japanese Americans and Asian Americans. He is a nationally-known speaker, panelist and expert on Japanese American and Asian American history and identity. He has authored several books of which the latest is “Tabemasho! Let’s Eat!”, a history of Japanese food in America. He will have this book available for purchase.

ABOUT OUR PERFORMER:  TONI YAGAMI

Enjoy the special presentation of Taiko drumming with a short performance courtesy of Taiko With Toni–“Thrill to the Thunderous Sounds of the Taiko”.   Toni Yagami is performing, in traditional costume, using taiko drums, and throughout the group’s musical presentations, the audience will be delighted.  Before taiko, Toni Yagami received a BA in music education and taught instrumental music in the public school system, played oboe in a community orchestra, and assisted with the Denver Jr. Police Band.  In 1979, she joined Denver Taiko and never looked back. She became a member of the professional taiko company, San Jose Taiko, in 1988, then returned to Denver in 1995 (married Lance Acker) and started her own taiko group. Currently, Toni, Lance and members from their current rehearsal group and classes, combine the joyous sounds of Japanese taiko, hand percussion, bamboo flutes, and a “swinging” jazz clarinet, as they play traditional folk and contemporary tunes.
Japanese culture and history are intermingled with various other cultures throughout our musical presentation. We hope you will find something that you can relate to, and that it brings a smile to your face, your heart, and your soul!

Taiko with Toni – Thrill to the Thunderous Sounds of the Taiko

Cherry blossoms, or sakura, are celebrated in Japan and worldwide as a symbol of spring, beauty, and the fleeting nature of life.   They are the white and pink blossoms of the Cherry Tree.

PROGRAM SPONSORS Providing gifts for guests’ door prizes. –Thank you!  

Stacey Shigaya, Executive Director of the Sakura Foundation.  The mission of Sakura Foundation is to celebrate and share Japanese and Japanese American culture and heritage in order to promote a more compassionate, resilient and equitable society.  Home – Sakura Foundation

Janice Ogawa, Secretary, Board of Officers, Japanese American Resource Center of Colorado (JARCC).    The Japanese American Resource Center of Colorado’s mission is to be a vibrant resource, preserving, educating, and communicating the evolving Japanese-American experience in Colorado. Formed in 2008, JARCC fulfills a decades-long dream of creating a place to celebrate and share this experience with the community-at-large.  HOME – JARCC

Jolie Noguchi, General Manager, Pacific Mercantile Company, Family-owned grocery, providing thousands of Japanese food and Asian products.  Located in Sakura Square at 1925 Lawrence St, Denver    http://www.pacificeastwest.com

Shirley Cavanaugh, HRHS Member, Program Coordinator for Celebrating Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month Program, Third Generation Japanese American.

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