Celebrate the Year of the Dragon with the Cultural Society East Bay on Saturday afternoon, Feb.11. Benefit the society's scholarship fund at the same time.

You can view a traditional Chinese Lion Dance by the nonprofit Rhode Island Kung Club. You can hear the sounds of the Chinese band at the University of Rhode Island. You can bid in a silent auction on calligraphy and brush paintings done by noted Barrington artist Dr. Ling Cheng.

There also will be a calligraphy demonstration with brushes for you to test your skill, tips for Chinese cooking, and a performance by the Chinese Student Association at URI.

The Chinese New Year celebration runs from 12 to 3 pm in the Barrington Middle School cafeteria. Tickets range in price from $10 to $15 depending on if you buy them in advance or at the door. Children ages 2-5 are half price.

Jeannie Salomon, founder and director of the Cultural Society East Bay, is coordinating the celebration. It is part of the society's effort to bring Chinese Chinese culture, such as calligraphy, dance, Chinese poetry, and cooking to the area along with Chinese language classes for younger children, she said.

:It will be one of a kind party," Salomon said. "Highly educational for those students who are studying Chinese. It is very important to have familiarity of the culture when one is studying this language."

Salomon is perhaps best known for teaching Mandarin Chinese to children at Primrose Hill School.

P. F. Chang’s restaurant is providing the food and "mystery gifts," she said. Look for a banner outside the middle school to point you to the cafeteria.

Cheng’s calligraphy and paintings are being donated by him, Salomon said.

"Proceeds will go to the scholarship fund. A great chance for art lovers to collect his works," she said.