Listen to the band and watch some of the festivities below:

Listen to Laura Park, the diverse communities librarian in the Pierce County Public Library system, explain the Korea Heritage Day celebrations in Korean here.

The four women wore white robes with a purple sash and rocked in slow, deliberate movements. They performed the salpullee, a traditional Korean dance that manifests the emotions of a wife losing her husband – not exactly meant to pep up a crowd.

“The dancer starts by standing still, because the mind is empty,” dancer Savannah Flaspohler explained. “And then you slowly turn throughout the dance. The color of the dress – it’s simple white or cream – means it’s not a celebration. It’s sad. It’s mourning.
“But you have to let it go, so you’re standing there spiriting it away.”

The dance might have morose undertones, but the rest of Korean Heritage Day in Lakewood was a downright celebration.

Dancers swayed to music, tae kwan do students showed their skills and broke wooden boards, visitors snacked on Korean food, and a musical performance finished with audience members dancing with the band at the Pierce County Library on Saturday.

It’s the fifth consecutive year the library system has held a celebration of Korean culture celebration. The festivities are usually held in May, which is Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month, but were moved ahead this year because Gov. Chris Gregoire last year declared Jan. 13 as Korean-American Day. The first three Korean Heritage Day celebrations were at the branch in University Place, but the facilities there were too small for the growing crowds.

Lakewood is also home to one of the largest Korean populations in the state.
“Many people wanted something for the second-generation Koreans who grew up here and non-Koreans to become familiar with the beautiful Korean culture,” said Laura Park, a diverse communities librarian who emceed the event in English and Korean. “It’s a 5,000-year history. There’s a lot to share.”

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Ruston Town Councilman Bob Everding has apparently resigned, according to a letter attributed to him posted on a Web site Saturday.

Everding, a retired college dean and professor, called the council “presently dysfunctional” in a 335-word letter addressed to Mayor Michael Transue and posted on the Ruston Connection Web site.

“A hostile environment permeates town meetings as a small minority (mostly those who lost the last two elections) are allowed to disrupt meetings with angry tirades and threat,” said the letter, which could not be verified by The News Tribune.

Everding and other members of the council could not be reached for comment Saturday evening.
In the letter, Everding attacks Transue for his failure to seek compromise.

“Your determination that things be done only your way has divided rather than healed this community,” he wrote.

I'll be at Korean Heritage Day at the Lakewood Pierce County Library later. Photos and maybe video coming in a few hours.