1.JFK
Plaza,50 Arcand Drive
JFK Plaza, adjacent to City Hall and the John F. Kennedy Civic Center,
is the site of civic and community ceremonies, festivals, dedications,
and farmers' markets. Each spring the Cambodian community
celebrates its largest annual event, the New Year, at JFK Plaza. The
New Year celebration includes the raising of the Cambodian flag,
alongside the American flag, prayers to welcome the new angels,
traditional music, dance, games, and food brought by local families.
The ceremony emphasizes the Buddhist faith, with a Buddhist altar
constructed on the plaza. In honor of their ancestors, Cambodian
community members offer food to Buddhist monks. Cambodian New
Year is a time for visiting among family and friends, old and new.
In
recent years, expanded New Year's celebrations include activities at
the
Trairatanaran Temple in North Chelmsford (see no. 12).
2.Southeast
Asian Restaurant, 343 Market Street
Oriental Pearl
Restaurant, 350-352 Market Street
Located at one of the gateways to the Acre neighborhood, the
Southeast Asian Restaurant and the Oriental Pearl are among the
most popular Southeast Asian restaurants in Lowell. Southeast
Asian Restaurant was the first food establishment of its kind in
Lowell, opened in 1985 and run by its current owners, Joseph and
Chanthip Antonaccio. Mr. Antonaccio first encountered Southeast
Asian food in 1965, when stationed in Thailand for the American air
force. Delighting in the food of Thai open air markets, Antonaccio
wrote down recipes in the hopes of making these foods himself
when he returned home. Fifteen years later, Antonaccio and his
Laotian born wife, Chanthip Antonaccio, began a Southeast Asian
food business of their own, serving Cambodian, Thai, Laotian, and
Vietnamese newcomers to America. They first imported Asian foods
from New York City to Connecticut, then established Southeast Asian
groceries throughout southern New England, and finally, opened
Southeast Asian Restaurant. The Oriental Pearl, located across the
street from Southeast Asian Restaurant, also opened in the 1980s,
when a Vietnamese family renovated what was then a decrepid
building, once a vital dance hall and restaurant serving the Greek
and Irish communities of the area. Today, the Oriental Pearl
Restaurant is owned by Cambodians and features a diverse menu
of Cambodian, Thai, and Chinese cuisine.
3.Monoram
Park, Cross Street (corner of Marion Street)
For generations, this urban playground has been a significant site
for Lowell's inner city children and teenagers. Park furnishings
reflect the cultural preferences of the Acre's most recent immigrants,
the Southeast Asians. Today, a tiled mosaic frieze of a Brahma and
stone chess tables replace leap frog and swing sets once used by
children of Irish, Greek, and Puerto Rican descent. Once called
Cross Street Park by older immigrants, this playground is now
renamed Monoram, meaning harmony in Khmer, the language of
Cambodia. Organized by the Coalition for a Better Acre, a community
development corporation serving the Acre neighborhood, Monoram
Park, dedicated in 1991, provides Cambodian children and teens
with familiar surroundings in which to socialize and play. |
