Silver City is one of Milwaukee's historic neighborhoods and over the years has seen a diverse group of immigrants settle in the area. Its proximity to the rail yards and the Menomonee Industrial Valley has made it attractive to working class families for many years. The name "Silver City" is believed to have been coined in the early days of the railroad and valley industry when workers would cash their paychecks at the local saloons and would often be paid in silver dollars. A traveler passing through the area stopped to slake his thirst and marveled at the silver coins on the bar and exclaimed "Why this must be Silver City!" and the name stuck. The neighborhood today is a wonderful ethnic mix of Lao, Hmong, Vietnamese, Thai, Hispanic, Anglo, Native American and African American residents.
The most recent group to settle here are the Asian families, attracted by reasonable home prices and many commercial buildings along National Avenue, suited perfectly for small family owned businesses including some new Asian restaurants. As part of the Main Street Initiative, which provides grants for neighborhood improvements and job creation, the Silver City Main Street group has staged a couple of ethnic and general festivals including Trick or Treat Street, Silver City Days and Concerts in the Park. This year, they also decided to add an Asian Festival to recognize the growing Asian presence along National Avenue.
Silver City contacted the Wisconsin Organization for Asian Americans-Milwaukee for advice and assistance in staging a festival along the lines of Asian Moon Festival. We jumped at the chance to help. Under the leadership of Pa Britney Xiong of Western Bilingual Agency and Helen Hermus, the Silver City Main Street Director, we worked for six months to stage the event on September 22nd. We weren't sure how the event would do but imagine our excitement to find ourselves in the midst of a huge crowd of an estimated 4,000 people, many of whom we recognized from Asian Moon! See for yourself in the photos on this page that all had a great time and plans are already taking place for next year. |
