FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contacts: Foundation Contact:
Katherine Dress Diana Meilan Wang
Lily Mak
Marco Polo World Foundation Announces 2008 Annual DFW Dragon Boat,
Kite and Lantern Festival on May 18th
DALLAS – May 7, 2008 - The 2008 Annual DFW Dragon Boat,
Kite and Lantern Festival, a premier Asian sporting, cultural
and educational event in North Texas, will be held on May 18th
at Lake Carolyn, Irving, Texas. Spirited dragon boat races, spectacular
kites, traditional dragon and lion dances, dumpling-making demonstrations,
and colorful multi-cultural performances will distinguish this
year’s action-packed festival.
With strong support from corporations, community groups, and
city governments, the festival was launched with grand fanfare
last year. Corporate and community teams raced with great excitement
in a first ever sport for the DFW region. Educational, cultural
programs were appreciated while several DFW mayors proclaimed
the month of May as Asian Pacific Heritage Month.
This year, the co-hosts, Marco Polo World Foundation and ACP
Foundation, are pleased to invite the press and the public to
the May 18th festival that will be held from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00
p.m. “We are fortunate to have the strong support of Irving
City Mayor Herbert Gears, City Council, the Visitor’s Bureau,
the Greater Irving Las Colinas Chamber of Commerce and DCURD,”
said the three festival co-chairs, Diana Meilan Wang, Lily Mak
and Katherine Dress. This volunteer run event is free to the public
to attend.
Under the supervision of the Dragon Boat Association of Texas
and USA Dragon Boating organization, the DFW Chapter of the Dragon
Boat Association of Texas has introduced new racing categories
this year: education and a special race for breast cancer awareness.
A Boy Scout troop, high school rowing team, and college team make
up the participants in the education division while the breast
cancer awareness race features a Susan G. Komen Grantee team and
a visiting out-of-town team composed of many breast cancer survivors.
Over fifteen dragon boat teams consisting of twenty paddlers each
and a drummer, are participating in this year’s event, doubling
the number of team entries from last year’s event.
In addition to the dragon boat races featuring corporate and
community teams, there will be a main stage hosting multi-cultural
performances as well as numerous booths showcasing handicrafts,
educational cultural activities and ethnic food. The festival
also highlights kite flying demonstrations by members of the TKO
and AKA who are supporting the festival for the first time. “The
festival is truly a community event that crosses all cultures
and ages.”
Dragon Boating is one of the hottest growing sporting events.
Such events are already held with great success in Canada, northeast
and western United States. Established Dragon Boat programs in
Boston, New York and Los Angeles attract close to 50,000 participants
each year. China has already recommended the sport to be adopted
by the Olympic Committee as an official sport.
All founding co-hosts of the festival look forward to building
the festival as a DFW Regional event that reflects its internationalism
and awareness of the cultures of its major trading partners in
Asia.
About Marco Polo World Foundation (MPWF)
Marco Polo World Foundation initiated the First Annual DFW Dragon
Boat, Kite and Lantern Festival in 2007. Its mission is to promote
the new sport of Dragon Boating in the DFW region, showcase Asian
culture, enhance intercultural understanding and celebrate Asian/Pacific
Heritage Month. The Festival also promotes cancer awareness and
works with private and public sector partners and community organizations
to encourage regional and international participation.
Visit the festival website at www.dfwdragonboatfestival.com.
###
2007 Press Release
