ARMENIAN CULTURAL FOUNDATION
104 North Belmont Street, Suite 300, Glendale, California 91206
PRESS RELEASE
May 31, 2007
Contact: Lerna Kayserian ~ Tel: (818) 507-1933
Thousands Gather in Little Armenia to Celebrate Armenian Independence
and Culture
Hollywood, CA – The 2nd Annual Armenian Independence Day Festival
became a huge success last Sunday, May 27th as crowds gathered to
celebrate the first independence of the Armenian nation. The
festivities began at 10:00 a.m. on Hollywood Boulevard in Little
Armenia, where the street was shut down between Vermont and
Alexandria. Council President Eric Garcetti and California State
Assemblymembers Paul Krekorian (D-Glendale), Anthony Portantino
(D-Pasadena) and Mike Feuer (D-Los Angeles), and Deputy Consul General
of Armenia, Haroutioun Kojoyan attended the Annual Festival to
celebrate the Armenian independence and culture alongside with the
Armenian community.
Ongoing entertainment, variety of cultural displays, unique vendors
and the aroma of ethnic food lured passers by to participate in the
festivities. Well-known singers and performers such as Ara Shahbazian,
Adiss, Anna Armenakyan, Maxim, Sahag Sisslian, Ara Sahagian, Antoine
Bezdjian, Sako, VISA, Jivan Gasparyan Jr., the Knar Band, Armenian
folk dancers from Alex Pilbos, and the Simon Dance Academy entertained
the crowd throughout the day. The kid’s zone, which included a petting
zoo, pony rides, a bouncer and rock climbing mountain, along with
various carnival games, amused thousands of children.
Organizations who participated in the festival include the Armenian
Relief Society, Homenetmen Armenian General Athletic Union and Scouts,
United Human Rights Council, Armenian National Committee of America –
Western Region, the Armenian Youth Federation – Western Region,
Hamazkayin Cultural and Educational Society, and AYF Camp.
The 2007 festival was sponsored by the Armenian Cultural Foundation
and cosponsored by Los Angeles City Council President Eric Garcetti,
California State Assemblymember Paul Krekorian (D-Glendale),
Assemblymember Kevin De Leon (D-Los Angeles), and Assemblymember Mike
Feuer (D-Los Angeles). Assemblymembers Paul Krekorian, Mike Feuer and
Kevin De Leon also participated in the festival by holding a
coordinated mobile office during festival hours. Closet World and
St. Mary’s Armenian Apostolic Church were also cosponsors of the
event.
`We would like to thank our sponsors, vendors, entertainers and many
volunteers who made this year’s festival another success. We look
forward to celebrating this joyous occasion with the community again
next year,’ said Festival Committee member Sevag Garabetian.
The Annual Armenian Independence Day Festival is hosted by the
Armenian Cultural Foundation and organized by the Armenian
Independence Day Festival Committee. The Festival takes place in
celebration of Armenia’s first independence of 1918 and thousands of
years of Armenian history and culture. After 600 years of Ottoman
Turkish oppression followed by the Armenian Genocide, the first
independence of the Armenian was declared on May 28, 1918. The second
republic of Armenia was born on September 21, 1991.