Virginia Beach to celebrate Fil-Am Friendship Day, July 8

Virginia Beach has celebrated Fil-Am Friendship Day for 45 years. HANDOUT

VIRGINIA BEACH, Virginia — For more than 45 years, Virginia Beach has celebrated Fil-Am Friendship Day, marking July 4^th 1946 when the Philippines became independent from the United States.

Fil-Am Friendship Day is on Saturday, July 8 at Mount Trashmore, and the public is invited to join the day-long festival from 9 a.m. 4 p.m.

A lineup full of entertainment, from cultural and modern performances to the Flores de Mayo Pageant and Parade, will be presented, including Filipino American songwriter and producer Elmer Abapo.

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Mount Trashmore Park, a reused landfill, encompasses 165 acres and is comprised of two man-made mountains, two lakes, two playgrounds, a skate park and vert ramp, and multi-use paths.

Some 19,000 Filipinos reside in Virginia Beach, with a concentration in Hampton Roads. Many are veterans of the US Navy and their families and descendants.