The Colorado Dragon Boat Festival is not just teams in long, ornate boats frantically rowing across Sloan’s Lake to the beat of drums.
But the boat-race competition is a great way to get people to visit the event.
“It is one of the primary activities of the festival, but it’s not the only one” festival co-founder Howie Solow said. “It is important for people to know there’s a lot more going on and that the true mission of the festival as a whole is a presentation of the great variety of Asian- Pacific-American culture.”
The festival – expanded to two days this year – also presents the various cultures through a performing-arts stage and an Asian market with food and arts and crafts.
It runs 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at Sloan’s Lake Park.
Opening ceremonies take place from noon to 1:30 p.m. Saturday. The too include a major cultural angle – the eye dotting of the dragon boats, which feature large dragon heads at the front.
“The eye-dotting ceremony is where we have Buddhist monks chanting in the background as guest dignitaries literally dot red paint on several areas of the dragon boat head,” festival spokeswoman Erin Yoshimura said.
One reason for the ceremony is to awake the senses that give the spirit of life to the boat, done by marking the eyes, ears, nose and so on, Solow said.
“The dragon is the highest animal in the hierarchy in Chinese culture,” he said. “Awakening the spirit of the dragon is how you cleanse the area, imbuing strength and success and safety, and all those things.”
A monk from Costa Rica will lead the eye-dotting ceremony, which will include chanting monks from Buddha’s Light Temple in Denver.
“They use different chants depending on the day and the environment, and which monks (are there),” Solow said. “There is more than one they can choose from. They’re asking for the Buddha’s blessing for what activities are going to take place on that day.”
Today’s dragon boats are made of fiberglass and are 40 feet long. Each of the flat-bottom boats carries a flag catcher, drummer, steersman and 18 paddlers along the 275-yard course.
A flag representing each boat flies on buoys at the finish. As a team nears its flag, the flag catcher climbs out onto the dragon head and stretches out to grab the flag. The first team to capture its flag wins.
Fifty-four teams have signed up for this year’s race; 6 of them are teams of youths ages 13-17.
Trainers from the Iowa-based American Dragon Boat Association provide paddling and safety instructions to the teams on Saturday, both on the water and on land.
“It’s a lot of fun to watch it,” Yoshimura said. “They literally line up on land as if they were in a boat, and they paddle. You can hear the clacking of the paddles.”
Yoshimura said those Saturday practices are one thing that led to expanding the festival.
“So many people were coming through the park on Saturdays,” she said. “They saw the people practicing on the shore, or they see the boats out on the water. So they come by to see what’s going on. We actually got remarks like, ‘Why don’t you have food? I would have eaten.’ Or ‘I would have bought something.”‘
Yoshimura is not only the event’s spokeswoman but also its entertainment chair.
She thought lining up twice as much entertainment would be a major challenge.
“I was really surprised and very pleased to receive 45 applicants, and I only had 28 performing slots. So that was very easy,” she said.
Nineteen ethnic groups are represented onstage this year, including – for the first time – the Laotian, Cambodian and Mongolian communities.
“Also new this year is we have more bands because we like to feature both traditional and contemporary performing arts,” Yoshimura said. Stand-up comic Donelle Prado is booked for the performing stage.
“She’s half Japanese-American and half Mexican-American,” Yoshimura said. “In her routine, she talks about what it is like growing up in two cultures.”
Another first this year is a beer garden, although no hard liquor will be sold and a two-beer limit will be enforced.
The festival has more than 80 booths, featuring food, gifts and information from nonprofit organizations.
Staff writer Ed Will can be reached at 303-820-1694 or ewill@denverpost.com.
5th Annual Dragon Boat Festival
BOAT RACES AND ASIAN CULTURE|Sloan’s Lake Park, Sheridan Boulevard and West 25th Avenue. Free parking and shuttle bus service at Invesco Field at Mile High. 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday|FREE|303-722-6852 or coloradodragonboat.org
