Archive of Newsletter Articles

Locke Foundation Newsletters

Last Updated 12-06-2024)

  • Kuramoto Family Legacy – Part Two
  • Author Luncheon with Dr. Russell Low
  • Locke Bok Bok Man Plaque Unveiled
  • The Legend of the Mid-Autumn Festival
  • Forgotten Chinatowns Event Draws Capacity Crowd
  • Evolution of Red Egg and Ginger Party

2024 – Summer

  • Highlights of the 2024 Locke Asian Pacific Spring Festival
  • The Kuramoto Family Legacy Part One and the Locke Boarding House
  • Asian American Heritage Park Project
  • Soon and Chan Families Forge a Locke Legacy
  • Locke Historic Artifact Gets Proper Treatment
  • Locke Welcomes Year Of The Dragon
  • Isleton Celebrates Chinese New Year
  • Locke Boarding House Museum Makes Significant Strides
  • The Chinese Tea Ceremony
  • Why Do Chinese Prefer To Drink Hot Water?
  • Locke Bids Farewell To Talented Neighbor
  • Updates On The Town Of Locke

2024 – Winter

  • Celebrate Chinese New Year in Locke
  • Locke Oral History Benefit Draws A Capacity Crowd
  • Voices: Chinese Women of the Delta Fundraiser Information
  • Preserving Locke’s Roots – The Locke Chinese Demonstration Garden

2023 – Fall

  • History of Locke and the Locke Foundation
  • Bury My Bones In America – Saga of a Chinese American Family
  • Locke Will Feature Dragon Dance To Celebrate Year Of The Dragon
  • Chinese Demonstration Garden Renovation Project

2023 – Summer

  • Locke Asian Pacific Spring Festival 2023
  • Marshall Discovery State Parks Observes Ching Ming at Gam Saan Trail
  • Face Lift For Locke’s Wooden Walkways
  • New Memorial Tile Wall
  • Happy Days at the Happy Cafe – Nytee’s Story

2023 – Spring

  • Asian Pacific Spring Festival Announcement
  • Prominent Citizens of Courtland Chinatown
  • Chinese New Year event draws record crowd to Locke
  • Ow Wing Fook, An Opera Singe and Revolutionary in the Delta
  • Chinese Pioneers: Power and Politics in Exclusion Era Photographs
  • 2023 Scholarship Opportunities for Local High School Students
  • In Memoriam: Gene Chan 1932-2022
  • Lion Dance in Chinese Culture
  • Chinese New Year in Locke (Announcement)
  • Lucky Chan: Life & Legacy
  • Kermit Lan Lee (1924-2022)
  • Courtland’s Legacy to Farming: Lincoln Chan
  • Boarding House Museum to host exhibit on Chinese Pioneers (February 11-April 16, 2023)
  • Tribute to Native Daughter: Lorraine Chun Fong  (1928-2022)
  • Unsung Heroine of Locke Foundation’s Artifact Catalog Project
  • Farewell to A Locke historian, Advocate and Friend (James Motlow)
  • Women’s Voices in the Delta: Marie Sue Driggs: Legacy of Independence
  • In Memoriam: Wayne Chan
  • Grand Re-opening of Isleton’s Bing Kong Tong Building
  • Knox College Visits Locke
  • A Tale of 2 Chinese American Grocers

2022 – Summer

  • Main Street Rocks @ Locke Asian Pacific Spring Festival, May 21, 2022
  • 2022 Scholarship Winners Announced
  • Tofu Manufacturing in Locke
  • Why is Hop Sing So Angry?
  • Locke’s Hometown Hero Spares the Roast Duck
  • Irvin Lai 1927-2020
  • Locke’s Dai Loy Gambling Hall Honored
  • LF Catalogs Museum Artifacts
  • LF Named Nonprofit of the Year

2022 – Spring

  • Chopsticks Etiquette
  • Gay Hoi Lum, Living the Pioneer Spirit
  • 2022 Scholarship Opportunities for High School Students
  • Locke Asian Pacific Spring Festival Is Back!
  • Historical Trail in California dedicated to Chinese Pioneers (Gam Saan Trail)
  • History of Chinese organizations in US

2022 – Winter

  • Locke’s Opera House: Star Theater
  • Eddie Jang: Delta’s Horatio Alger
  • Square and Circle: Oldest Chinese American Service Organization
  • Locke Foundation Needs your Support
  • Consortium launches Chinese American Heritage Network
  • Saving Face
  • Mid-Autumn Festival on September 21
  • 2021 Best of Delta Awards
  • A Woodcutter’s Son: Alfred Chan
  • In Memoriam Janet Jang Friederich 1934-2021
  • Asians and Games of Chance
  • Locke’s Own Dai Loy

2021 – Summer

  • Locke Foundation 2021 Scholarship Recipients
  • Life and Times of Harry Sen
  • Chinese View of Mental Health
  • Joe Shoong’s Legacy to Locke – The Locke Chinese School
  • Dragon Boat Festival
  • The Timeless Magic of Mahjong

2021 Spring

  • Ching Ming or Sweeping the Grave on April 4, 2021
  • Jeff Kan Lee: The Journey From A Chongshan Village in California
  • Chinese View of Death and Dying
  • Distinguished Patrons of Locke Foundation
  • 2021 Scholarship Opportunities for High School Students
  • 9-Man Volleyball: Chinese Style

2021 Winter

  • Daisy Mah: The Last Toishan Girl in Walnut Grove
  • Carol Lee, Locke Foundation Welcomes Newest Directors
  • Locke Historic District
  • New Exhibit Debut @ Boarding House Museum
  • The Rise and Fall of Chop Suey Houses
  • What is the difference between Chinese and Chinese-American Cuisine?
  • Honey Loquat Sore Throat Syrup: a staple in Chinese homes

2020 Fall

  • Dear Friends of Locke Foundation (Chair Stuart Walthall)
  • Locke Residents Served with Pride in WW II (Ruth Jang & Harry Jang)
  • Vivid Memories of the Bok Bok Man (Bon Bung)
  • Po Chai Pills: Panacea for all ailments
  • Bridges of Sacramento River Delta
  • History of Paintersville

2020 Summer

  • Home (Alfred Chan)
  • Capturing Life Stories of Delta Pioneers: Locke Foundation Oral History Project
  • Uneasy Co-existence Walnut Grove Japanese/Chinese (1908-1941), Part 2
  • What’s in Chinese Medicine Cabinet?
  • Nameless Chinese Tule Workers Reclaimed Delta Swamps
  • LF Scholarship Award

2020 Spring

  • Oral History Project Launched
  • In Memoriam: Willis Tom (1926-2020)
  • Josiah Gallup: Business Agent to Chinese Merchants
  • Highlights 2020 Chinese New Year Celebration in Locke
  • Scholarship Opportunities for High School Students
  • Boarding House Museum Hosts Free Museum Day

2020 Winter

  • Civil War Legislator Staunch Supporter of Chinese Labor John Conness (1821-1909)
  • Uneasy Co-existence between Japanese/Asian Residents in Walnut Grove (1908-1941)
  • Chinese Celebrate Winter Solstice on December 21, 2019
  • Distinguished Patrons of Locke Foundation
  • LF Fundraiser sold out affair

2019 Fall

  • John Lee of Walnut Grove: WWII Flying Tiger Hero
  • Locke Foundation Lecture Series
  • Tule Horse Shoe on Display at New York City Museum
  • Filmmakers Come to Locke
  • Old “Barn” in the Back of Locke
  • Courtland Pear Fair

2019 Summer

  • Delta Life through Vintage Postcards
  • Author Kim Luke speaks on life saga
  • 9th Annual Locke Asian Pacific Street Festival
  • LF Free to Operate as Traditional Non-Profit
  • LF Participants in Bok Kai Festival
  • James Motlow Opening Reception & Lecture
  • Rio Vista HS Students Receive LF Scholarship

2019 Spring

  • New Art Studio in Locke (Artist Joy Kuo)
  • Coins used by Chinese Immigrants
  • Locke Boarding House Joins State Park Diablo Range District
  • Scholarship opportunities by Delta High School Students
  • Locke in the 1970s (B/W Photography by James Motlow)
  • Locke Celebrates Chinese New Year, February 16, 2019

2019 Winter

  • WWII Service Record of George Marr of Locke, CA (August 8, 1923 – December 10, 1980)
  • In Memoriam: John Chun, former Locke Resident (1930-2018)
  • 2019 Marks 150th Anniversary Completion First Transcontinental Railroad: Why is 2019 is banner year in Chinese American History?
  • Chinese Railroad Worker Photo Exhibit @ 10th Anniversary Locke Boarding House
  • 2019 Calendar of Community Programs
  • October 2018 Fundraiser
  • New Shop on Main Street (Seeker Locke)

2018 Fall

  • George Locke (Sacramento Union Archives: August 22,1909)
  • Morrison Chun, Tribute: Locke Native Son (1920-2018)
  • Evolution of Chinese Family Associations, Part I
  • LF presents Chinese Helped Build The Railroad. The Railroad
  • Helped build America. & Chinese and the Iron Road

2018 Summer

  • In Memoriam: Celestine Marr Fong (1950-2018)
  • Where have all the Delta Chinatowns gone?
  • Chong Chan, Lincoln Chan, Douglas Wallace Chan,
  • John Wesley Sharpe, Alex Brown, Josiah Pool, Chan
  • Tin San, Wing Chong Owyang, Yuen Lai Sing, Chinese National Park Service (NPS) Plaque Installed
  • Two Locke Artists Combine Talents in New Book (Brock Alexander & D.R. Wagner)
  • LF Awards 2018 Scholarship
  • 2018 Locke Asian Pacific Street Festival

2018 Spring

  • Meet 2018 Locke Foundation Board of Directors Stuart Walthall, Clarence Chu, Anita Lo, Eileen Leung, Dustin Marr, Honey Lum, Darrel Woo, Douglas Hsia, Mark Miller
  • Walnut Grove Branch Line Railroad in Locke
  • LF 2018 Chinese New Year Celebration in Sacramento
  • Chinese New Years in Locke
  • Narcissus in Chinese Culture
  • LF Awards 2018 Scholarship

2018 Winter

  • Corliss Suen Lee, Once Upon a Chinese Town: A Place in Time
  • In Memoriam: Roberta Jong Yee (1924-2017)
  • Nelson Loo receives LF Service Award
  • Clarence Chu receives Founders Award at CACS 30th Anniversary Gala for contributions to historic Locke.
  • Chinese translation of Native Sons Historical Plaque
  • Isleton Chinese Pavilion Restoration
  • 2018 Happenings
  • LF Fundraiser October 28, 2017

2017 Fall

  • Fiddletown: Jimmy Chow Story (Fong Chow Yow)
  • In Memoriam: Yin Kwan Soon Chan (1912- 2017)
  • Clarence Chu (lasting tribute for commitment, advocacy, and preservation of legacy of Locke) receives prestigious CACS Hall of Fame Award
  • Will Delta Tunnel Destroy Locke?
  • Jeff Gillenkirk Memorial
  • Bodhi Temple Plaque (gift to LF)
  • Annual Locke Tradition: THE GATHERING

2017 Summer

  • Chinese Pioneers in the Foothills of Amador County
  • Chew Kee & Wife Sigh Choy (Chew Kee Store)
  • Dr. Yee Fung Cheung (Herbal Medicine) & son Yee Lok Sam (aka T. Wah Hing) (Herbal Medicine)
  • Fiddletown: Elaine Zorba
  • 10,000 Steps: One Woman’s Insistence on the American Dream
  • Chinese Demo Garden in Full Bloom
  • National Historic Landmark Finally Arrives
  • Celebrating Asian Pacific Heritage In Locke: A Class Act
  • LF Scholarship Awards

2017 Spring

  • Jeff Gillenkirk: Community Bids Farewell to Friend
  • Locke Residents Come Together to Pay It Forward
  • Chinese Foot-Binding: Beauty at what price?
  • Memorial Park Clean Up
  • LF Hosts Dual Events on February 4, 2017

2017 Winter

  • In Memoriam: Jeff Gillenkirk (1949-2016)
  • Frequently Asked Questions about Chinese New Year
  • Community Service Award from Asian Bar Association of Sacramento
  • Locke Fundraiser Surpasses Goal
  • National Historic Landmark Plaque from US Department of the Interior
  • The Buddha, Dagger-Clawed Pygmies, and the Leaf

2016 Fall

  • Chinese Workers in Tobacco and Cigar Industries
  • Fire in historic Locke on July 3, 2016
  • LF needs your help. Memorial Tiles, Bequest, BH Docents
  • New Display at Boarding House (The Locke of Life)
  • Chinese Historic Marker on Main Street

2016 Summer

  • D.R. Wagner, Locke’s Renaissance Man: Artist, Poet, Musician, Teacher
  • LOCKE (Text of Locke Historic Marker), Installation
  • Who Invented the Fortune Cookies?
  • Asian Pacific Spring Festival (May 21, 2016)
  • LF Scholarship Winners

2016 Spring

  • Stuart Walthall Leads Locke Foundation in 2016
  • Locke Artist (Ning Hou) Honors Chinese Builders of
  • Trans-Continental Railroad at Stanford University
  • Bats are favored in Chinese Culture
  • The Chinese Farmer’s Almanac Lives On
  • Pomelos important symbol in Chinese culture
  • LF Celebrates the Year of the Monkey
  • Sacramento Museum Day (February 16, 2016)

2016 Winter

  • Locke Centennial Reunion, (The Way It Was)
  • The Chinese Confession Program
  • Why is there an Italian Restaurant in a Chinese Town? (”Al the Wop’s”, Alessandro Adami, Alexander “Al” Adami)
  • Lights, Camera, Action in Locke
  • Locke Demo Garden Update (painting by Beth Chape)

2015 Fall

  • Born in America: Dustin Marr
  • Paper Sons, Paper Daughters, Paper Families…Only in America
  • Real Chinese Don’t Eat Chop Suey
  • Chinese Demonstration Garden is Bursting
  • Boarding House Museum joins SAM (Sacramento Association of Museums)
  • Angel Island Exhibit to Close in Jan Ying Building.

2015 Summer

  • Kim King, Born in America: My first day at School
  • Colton Zhang. Locke Teen Returns from World Robotics
  • Championships (Mentor Coach Robert Green)
  • Locke Centennial Celebration… “If you can dream it, you can do it” …Disney
  • It’s all about Face
  • Daisy Mah Honored for Locke Memorial Garden Work
  • LF receives California State Resolution
  • Locke BH Museum exhibits (Gateway to Gold Mountain, Flying Tigers, Life in the Delta: photography exhibit)
  • Books For Sale at Boarding House Museum & Locke Foundation Website: Locke, California: A Chinese Community in the Sacramento River Delta. (Images of 1935 Locke buildings compiled Lim Mar from Historical American Buildings Survey).
  • Remembering Locke 100 Years, 1915-2015. (History & essays from former and current residents on life in Locke).
  • Pat Braziel retires (Chief of staff for Supervisor Don Nottoli, District 5)
  • High School Artists Debut in Locke
  • Chinese Demo Garden Ready

2015 Special Centennial Edition

  • 100th Centennial (1915-2015), Locke’s Legacy Lives On
  • Born in America: Too Proud to Beg (Mun Do Lai)
  • Celebrating Milestone Birthdays: A Chinese Tradition
  • Locke Farm Opens on Main Street
  • Delta Residents Reunion Dinner 1950’s Chinese Banquet
  • Chinese Superstitions: Believe it or Not
  • Classical Music in Locke
  • Spring Cleaning for Locke Monument
  • Native Sons of Golden West Honor Locke

2015 Spring

  • In Memoriam: Lim Mar (1942-2014)
  • (Kim King), The Old Man and the Sand
  • “Gateway to Gold Mountain” Comes to Locke
  • Lion Dance in Chinese Culture
  • Ching Ming: Traditional Chinese Festival on April 5
  • Angels in the Delta
  • LF Board Announced New Directors for 2015
  • Chinese Demo Garden Gets a Facelift
  • Strolling Down Main Street
  • LF Newsletter enters 4th year

2015 Winter

  • Ryde: Off the Beaten Path (Dennis Leary & Chinese Past)
  • When Asparagus was King
  • Did You Know… (Interesting “facts” by Stuart Walthall)
  • Harvest Moon Festival, October 25, 2014: The Day in Pictures

2014 Fall

  • Walnut Grove: A Tale of Two Towns (Japan Town, Chinatown, Walnut Grove Today)
  • Our new Web site is Launched (by Angie Eng)
  • From the Chinese Demonstration Garden
  • New LF Members
  • Photo Fun: Alien Life in Locke
  • Locke Centennial Celebration Planning Under Way

2014 Summer

  • Connie’s (Connie King) Toilet Garden Comeback
  • Did you know…(Stuart Walthall, Jay Correia)
  • Main Street Awakens at Asian Pacific Street Festival
  • From the Chinese Demonstration Garden
  • High School Artists Shine at Moon Café Gallery
  • A Bout With Mother Nature (Poison oak)
  • Locke Centennial Celebration Planning Under Way

2014 Spring

  • The Art of Chinese Calligraphy
  • Locke Through the Lens (Best of Show–Duo Peng)
  • From the Chinese Demonstration Garden
  • Locke Foundation Supports Walnut Grove Library
  • Docent Tour of Locke
  • Locke Boarding House Museum / Visitors Center
  • LF Membership News
  • Photo Fun: The Pellet (Owls)

2014 Winter

  • Locke’s Jan Ying Benevolent Association
  • Locke Centennial Project Seeks Former Residents’ Photos
  • Delta Authors Convene in Locke (Joseph Coulombe, DR Wagner, Randy Gutierrez, Sally Ooms, Bill Corp, Chris Spencer, Kelan O’Connell, Jeff Gillenkirk, James Motlow)
  • Locke Centennial Survey Wish List
  • Memorial Tile Wall Project Expands
  • All Signs Lead to Locke
  • From the Chinese Demonstration Garden
  • Harvest Moon Festival

2013 Fall

  • The Last Wish of Tom Jung: Delta Patriarch Inspires
  • Tom Jung: Reunion Legacy (With translation of recording of Tom Jung’s final words)
  • Nearly Lost Daughter and Sister (Mae Tom Chan)
  • Delta Pride: Necessity Was the Mother of Invention (Delta Patents)
  • Planning for Locke’s Centennial in 2015
  • 1st Prize Winner in Locke Foundation Essay Contest

2013 Summer

  • Asian Pacific Cultural Festival
  • What a Long Strange Trip (Long lost Gong returns) (Jessie (Cullivan) Heinzman / Ettamarie Peterson)
  • Jeff Kan Lee (personal story & meeting Ettamarie with Gong)
  • (Kim King) “Gung-Gung is here!”
  • Locke Centennial Building Survey (LCBS) (Wish List)
  • New Locke Photographic Building Survey
  • New LF Membership
  • Main Street Sizzles at Asian Pacific Cultural Festival
  • Free Chinese Calligraphy Lessons

2013 Spring

  • Locke Memorial Park: Final Installation of a Continuing Saga (Dustin Mar, Nelson Loo, Sun Loo, Mary Loo)
  • Joe Shoong’s Philanthropy Comes to Locke
  • Sun Yat Sen’s connections to Hawaii and Delta Chinese
  • Life Members/Annual LF Members

2013 Winter

  • Locke’s Huckleberry Finn—Irvin Lai (1927-2010)
  • Effie Lai (1905-2004) Behind every successful man is His Mother
  • Locke Memorial Park and the Garden Girl (Daisy Mah)
  • The town of Locke thanks you for your beautiful and meaningful gift
  • A Banjo for Jerry Waterworth
  • Locke Historical District signs installed on River Road
  • Harvest Moon Celebration at Jean Harvie, October 27,2012
  • Join the Locke Foundation (Let’s break down this statement)
  • Newest LF Members

2012 Fall

  • Locke Community Park Segues to Locke Memorial Park (Elyse Marr, Whitney Marr)
  • Granddaughter of Locke’s Family designs monument (Elyse Marr)
  • Life in the Foon Hop Store on Main Street (Chester Cheung)
  • Volunteers Beautify Locke Grounds
  • LF welcomes newest members
  • LF Wish List

2012 Summer

  • Locke Community Park Arises from Ashes (Whitney Marr Locke Memorial Park Designer)
  • All the Days Were Sunny [Roberta (Bobbi) Owyang]
  • Oral Interview with Locke Resident (synopsis of group interview with (Genelle (Linky) Hamolka, Diana Lee, Eugene Lee, Roberta (Bobbi) Lee, Wallace Owyang, Walter Owyoung, and Penny Pedersen)
  • Heungshan (Zhongshan) Immigrants to the Delta (early Chinese in the Delta), (reference of Lincoln Chan)
  • New look for Boarding House Museum
  • LF welcomes new members

2012 Spring

  • Locke Foundation Chair Speaks Out (Clarence Chu)
  • Meet Locke Foundation (LF) Board of Director (Clarence Chu (Chair), Eileen Leung, Deborah Mendel, Brock Anderson, Pat Braziel, Dustin Marr, Jay Correia, Tina Giannetti-Mabalot, Lo “Lorenzo” Giannetti, Darrel Woo)
  • The Locke Foundation (LF) Moving Into the Future
  • Update on Board House Museum & Visitor’s Center Display
  • Asian Pacific Spring Festival Comes to Locke (May 19, 2012)
  • Locke’s Chinese Vegetable Demonstration Garden
  • Cooperative Community Chicken Coop Barn Raising Style
  • Purchase a Memorial Tile