[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 17377]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




          HONORING TOWNSHIP OF DENVILLE'S ANNUAL SRI LANKA DAY

                                 ______
                                 

                      HON. RODNEY P. FRELINGHUYSEN

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 29, 2010

  Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the Township 
of Denville's Annual Sri Lanka Day, which celebrated its 35th annual 
festival this summer.
  Beginning in 1975 with around 300 families in attendance, Denville's 
Sri Lanka Day has grown into one of the largest events of its kind, 
attracting close to 2,000 families. Sri Lankans come from beyond the 
tri-state area, with some coming from as far away as Canada to attend 
the event.
  The Sri Lanka Day festival started as a vision of Jay Liyanage, a Sri 
Lanka native who resides in Denville, and would not be possible without 
the outstanding support of the Denville Rotary Club and the Sri Lanka 
Association of New York.
  The festival is a beautiful display of Sri Lankan culture. In 
addition to offerings of cultural foods, music and clothing, the event 
features many sporting events. The highlights this year were the 
cricket matches between the Sri Lanka Association of New York and the 
Sri Lanka Association of Washington, D.C., as well as a match between 
an all-Sri Lankan team and an all-Denville team. For the second 
consecutive year the Sri Lanka Medical Association of North America 
generously ran a free medical clinic. Organizers credit the cricket 
matches, health clinic and the ending of the long civil war that 
occurred over the past 25 years in Sri Lanka for the large increase in 
attendance over the past few years.
  The festival theme of ``togetherness'' is always exhibited at Sri 
Lanka Day where people from all walks of life come together to 
celebrate the Sri Lankan culture.
  Madam Speaker, I ask you and my colleagues to join me in 
congratulating the Township of Denville's annual Sri Lanka Day for 
hosting their 35th Celebration.

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