The Angkor Wat Friendship Association was established in 1988 in Des Moines, Iowa. The sole Buddhist monk at that time performed religious and cultural ceremonies from a rented house that served as the Combodian (Khmer) "temple". The association serves families in Iowa, as well as Cambodians from Kansas City and Columbia, Missouri; and Lincoln and Omaha, Nebraska. The Angkor Wat Friendship Association hosts the Cambodian New Year celebration in April.