Members of Tacoma’s Asia Pacific Cultural Center (APCC) have plans to bring traditions of the East to locals in the west.

The cultural group is hosting their first annual Asian Pacific American Heritage Festival on May 15-16 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Fircrest Community Center, (555 Contra Costa Ave. in Fircrest).

Highlights will include cultural education opportunities from various East Asian and Pacific Rim lands, including Cambodia, India, Hawaii, Korea, Philippines, Samoa, Tonga, Thailand, Vietnam, China, Japan and Tahiti.

Visitors will also have the chance to partake in cooking classes representing the regional cuisines of Korea, China, Japan, Samoa, Hawaii, India, Thailand and Vietnam.

There will be plenty of foods to try from various countries, as well as an Asian-Pacific themed barbeque contest.

APCC is a non-profit organization formed in 1996 with the goal of representing the heritage of local Americans of Asian and Pacific Island ethnicity. APCC represents 47 countries and cultures, offering programs and services honoring their distinct artistry, business protocols, history and social practices.

Patsy Surh O’Connell, founder and president of APCC, said the organization was inspired to host the Asian Pacific American Heritage Festival after they noticed the number of similar local events began to dwindle. The city of Fircrest offered the organization a free venue to host the event and organizers managed to enlist the help of about 50 volunteers from the community.

“We’re expecting to attract around 3,000 people,” O’Connell said. “The word of mouth has gone out.”

Each visitor to the event will be equipped with an entry passport to the event. Visitors will have the opportunity to get their passports stamped as they travel to 11 villages (booths) representing various Asian or Pacific Island cultures. Each village has artifacts and hands on activities, including art, instruments, games and language writing lessons. Visitors can enter their completed passports for a prize.

O’Connell hopes visitors will leave the heritage festival educated and inspired by the traditions and values of the Asian and Pacific Island cultures. The goal of the event is not exclusivity, she explained, but rather educating everyone in the community about the customs of their neighbors.

“It’s important for our neighbors to understand who we are,” O’Connell said. “Then they can accept the differences in each culture that makes each of us unique.”

Passports for the Asian Pacific American Heritage Festival cost $10 for adults. Children 12 and younger are free. Passports for APCC members are $5. Cooking classes cost $10 each or $50 for all. APCC members pay $5 each.

For more information on APCC or the Asian Pacific American Heritage Festival, call (253) 383-3900 or visit www.asiapacificculturalcenter.org.