by KT Leong
Following the soft opening which Ipoh Echo covered 3 weeks ago here, today marked the grand opening of the OldTown Heritage Centre on Panglima Street on Ipoh, right next to the famous Concubine Lane.
The official opening was graced by a host of esteemed guests and dignitaries, including Ipoh mayor, Dato’ Rumaizi Baharin, Kingdom of the Netherlands ambassador, Jacques Werner and President of Jacobs Douwe Egberts (JDE) Asia Pacific, Ms. Lara Brans.
In her welcome note, Ms. Lara Brans thanked the local artists who contributed to the artwork at the centre, as well as the custodians of history, Ipoh World. She also made note of the ecologically responsible menu for the cafe, which sources vegetables from their vertical farm and chickens that have been raised, uncaged.
Ambassador Jacques Werner also gave a brief speech in which he noted that it was 11 am at the time, and shared that when he was a young boy, 11 am was his mother’s “coffee time” in which their family would sit together for coffee while his parents cut out coupons.
He stressed the importance for Ipoh to maintain its heritage and for its community to unite and create companionship together. As well as the importance of sustainability.
A children’s drum performance and a lion dance was held following the ribbon cutting ceremony, to officially open the OldTown Heritage Centre.
