Valentines Party 2007

The association kicked off the first official event of the year with the annual Valentine's Party.  All of those in attendance had a lot of fun.  This year, the Valentine's Party was held at the Ramada Plaza Hotel in Enka on February 3rd. 

Mrs. Jane Rolen, our long time emcee, joined us again to entertain us and introduce each of our programs for the evening.  We started the night with a wonderful invocation and prayer about love by Dr. Rene Dioquino, which was then followed by dinner. 

As the first official event, the Valentine's Party plays venue as the first event that our new officers take part in their new roles as leaders of FAC-WNC.  Our brand new President, Arnel Marucut, presented his welcome message, and Charlie Rice, Vice-President, concluded the program by giving his closing remarks. 

To start off our programs for the evening, our three 'ladies in red', Empie Higgins, Marilou Marucut, and Bing Rice, serenaded the crowd with two songs, "Valentine" by Martina McBride and a Tagalog love song, "Gaano Ko Ikaw Kamahal."   

Known for their prowess and skills at showcasing traditional, Filipino folkdances, the FAC-WNC Dance Troupe showed their versatility by performing two Cha cha numbers.  First, our ladies entered wearing matching red dresses, showcasing their skills.  They were followed by their partners.  Clad in black, the men proved they were to not be outdone by their partners, and together made the "Chilly Cha Cha" a memorable and fun dance to witness.  A few of our members have taken ballroom dance lessons, and showcased their skills dancing to "Sway" by the Pussycat Dolls.  This cha cha was full of tricks, spins, twirls, and dips, and was a feast for the eyes.  Brian Rodriguez, our Assistant Dance and Artistic Director, took the reigns in organizing and choreographing these two numbers.  The audience couldn't help but get in the mood to dance after witnessing this spectacle. 

The highlight of the evening was the crowning of our first ever Miss FAC-WNC, a fundraising pageant to raise money for the numerous events held throughout the year.  The rules were simple, the candidate who sold the most number of tickets is the winner.  The three candidates, Lee Huff, Khristy Fontillas, and Kimberly Lankford, proved to be an excellent and very accomplished batch. 

All three candidates have been active in FAC-WNC, since they were all young.  Any of the candidates would have represented FAC-WNC very well, but only one could win.  Passing on the 'baton' was Mrs. Valentine 2005, Mary Ann Miller, and Elsa Delage and Miradel Rogers, previous Mrs. Valentine runner-ups all helped in the crowning of our new Miss FAC-WNC. 

Our 2nd Runner Up is Kimberly Lankford of Waynesville, NC is a freshman at Lees-McRae College in Banner Elk.  She is a tennis athlete and has won scholarships for both her athleticism and academics.  Kimberly, like our other candidates, is active in volunteer work and activities with various groups.  After college, Kimberly plans to continue on to Law School in hopes of becoming an attorney.  She was escorted by Vincent Navarro. 

Our 1st Runner Up is Lee Huff of Lake Toxaway, NC, is a junior at Brevard High School, has ambitions of attending UNC-Greensboro for a music degree and ultimately hopes to attend the prestigious Juliard School in New York.  She is very active, having participated in a number of performance competitions and pageants, as well as volunteering with different organizations.  Lee was escorted and presented to the audience by Brian Rodriguez. 

And our first ever Miss FAC-WNC is Khristy Fontillas of Arden, NC is a junior at UNC-Chapel Hill and is majoring in Biology/Pre-Med with minors in Chemistry and Spanish.  She hopes to further continue her education by attending Med School or Grad School to take on Health Policy and Administration.  Khristy is active in UNC's Asian Student Association and has volunteered extensively with different organizations and was awarded several scholarships for her achievements.  She was escorted by Richie Rodriguez.   Congratulations Khristy and your family on your victory! 

Khristy's first task as Miss FAC-WNC was to draw the winning ticket for our grand prize, a brand new flat screen tv.  A pleasant surprise, Khristy drew her lola's (grandmother's) winning ticket, Primativa Mamaclay. 

The rest of the evening was full of dancing, as our attendees danced the night away to music from the DJs of Asheville. 

Thank you to all of those who helped in any way for the great success of this event!  Thank you to the Valentines Committee, chaired by Empie Higgins, the Decorations Committee, headed by Brian Rodriguez.  Thank you to all the committee members in your backstage work.  Thank you also to the donors, the ticket sellers, raffle tickets sellers, registration members, ticket counters, dancers, and singers.  Thank you all for all your hard work!  And, a special thanks to our Miss FAC-WNC winners and their families for all your fundraising!