Celebrating Chinese New Year in NC

A common bond
Families of Asian adoptees celebrate Chinese New Year, new life

HICKORY - The house filled up quickly. Parents of children adopted from Asia gathered Friday evening for a Chinese New Year celebration at the Moore’s Ferry home of Alan and Judy Massengill.

About 80 people gathered in the couple’s basement. The children, wearing traditional Asian clothing, played while the grown-ups swapped stories and met newcomers to the celebration.

The group has a name: Catawba Valley Families with Asian Children. Shirley Mills, whose daughter Riley was adopted in China, is instrumental in keeping the families in touch with each other. The expanding network gathers about four times a year. They come from Boone, Wilkesboro, Morganton, Shelby, Statesville and the Hickory area.