Dragon Boat Festival Chail Jas Kalsi talks about importance of a boat house for dragon boats on False Creek to sponsors, politicians and dragon boat festival organizers.
The VIP tent was packed on the eve to the Rio Tinto Alcan Dragon Boat Festival. Politicians and digniteries walked in from the eye-dotting ceremony conducted by Taoist priests. Parks Commissioner and former Gung Haggis dragon boat team paddler Stuart Mackinnon dotted one of the eyes with a paint brush.
Lots of great food was served in the VIP tent. Sockeye Salmon, Tuna on wild rice patties, corn chowder - all provided from the VCC culinary arts program.
But this year's VIP party also had a serious tone. On Tuesday, the Canadian International Dragon Boat Festival Society had sent a letter to Vancouver City Council, stating that because of development on Falser Creek, the 21 year old festival was in jeopardy. Festival Chair Jas Kalsi talked about the issue to the audience.
The
VIP party was attended by Mayor Robertson, councilors Ellen Woodsworth,
Suzanne Anton, Raymond Louie, George Chow, and Andrea Reimer, as well
as Parks Commissioner Stuart Mackinnon, and Sen. Nancy Green Raine who said that the federal government will pledge $100,000 to the RTA Festival.
Mayor
Robertson said he supports councilor Raymond Louie's statements,
that city council supports dragon boats on False Creek, and things are
moving through the planning stage. Robertson also shared that his son
is paddling in his first dragon boat race.
Terry Hui, CEO of Concord said that Concord is committed to the Festival.
See Concord's commitment in yesterday's 24 Hours story
http://vancouver.24hrs.ca/News/local/2009/06/18/9835626-sun.html
Members of the Festival board
and Race Committee talked to the politicians. I also talked with
Concord Pacific's senior vice-president of planning - Matt Meehan, who wants to come to the next Gung Haggis Fat Choy Dinner, as he remembers seeing me perform at Jenny Kwan's scotch tasting parties.
I chatted with Mayor Robertson (who has attended the last 2
Gung Haggis Fat Choy Robbie Burns Chinese New Year Dinners), and he told me which team his son is paddling on. I informed him that his son was being coached by one of our Gung Haggis paddlers Gayle Gordon.
Dragon boat coach and former Olympic sprint kayak paddler, Kamini Jain, brought me 5 copies of the new dragon boat book "Paddles Up! Dragon Boat Racing in Canada." You can bet that the other
paddlers/organizers/coaches were all jealous when they saw them. Kamini had written the chapter on coaching, and I had asked her to autograph copies for myself and my friends (Gayle and Stuart). And.... I was able to introduce Kamini to Sen. Nancy
Green Raine (former Olympic ski gold medalist) - just before Sen. Nancy
left the party.
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Home to my passions for my inter-cultural adventures, Gung Haggis Fat Choy: Robbie Burns Chinese New Year Dinner event. Historic Joy Kogawa House Society, Gung Haggis Fat Choy Dragon Boat team, Find what you are looking for by 1) scroll the categories links (below), 2) use the search function ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Search
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We attend the VIP party for te Rio Tinto Alcan Dragon Boat Festival
Comments
Re: We attend the VIP party for te Rio Tinto Alcan Dragon Boat Festival
by
Anonymous
on Sat 20 Jun 2009 08:45 PM PDT | Permanent Link
Todd, as discussed earlier, the origins of dragon boating are other than as described in your blog.
The 1st suggestion for a 'dragon boat festival' to be held outside of China was in 1945, October 10 to be exact (Double Tenth, which is important to Taiwanese for political-historical reasons.) The suggestion was for Vancouver to celebrate Tuen Ng Jit / Duan Wu Jie summer solstice festival the same way New Orleans celebrates Mardi Gras. (Reference: Vancouver Sun, 45-10-10). After the bombs fell on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Pacific war ended and rebuilding trade and commerce post-war was a priority. Even then, Vancouver was the "Gateway to the Pacific (Rim)", which would be promoted, along with multiculturalism many decades later. 1946 was to be the Diamond Jubilee or 60th anniversary of Vancouver's founding. But no dragon boat races seem to have been started then. Fast forward to 1986, Vancouver's Centennial. Hundreds of communities help mark the celebration, and the Chinese Cultural Centre (of Vancouver) was entirely responsible for bringing the DBs to False Creek. The theme of Expo 86 was transportation. The Hongkong High Commission to Canada supported the idea and paved the way for Hongkong Day at Expo in June to be observed through, among other things, dragon boat races in teak wooden boats manufactured in HK and donated by various corporate sponsors from the private sector involved in HKG-CDA business. The actual "grandfather" of dragon boat races and festival is the late Dr. Wah Leung, one of several BC-born children of immigrant Chinese who were among the first professionals of Chinese ethnic origin in BC. Milton Wong is the father of the Canadian International Dragon Boat festival along with David Lam, and they supported this development 3 years after the CCC began the first races outside of China using authentic boats from Asia. (Boston and Toronto earlier had races but did not use authentic boats.) So it's important to get the facts straight, that dragonboating here was originated by members of the local Chinatown community and due to its popularity and political value at a time when there was a backlash against "chinese monster houses" following the outpouring of private HKG capital due to the Tiananmen massacre in 1989, the 'Alcan' festival was born. (Alcan wasn't the first event title sponsor, but is now the longest one.) The teak wooden boats were gifted to the city and it's inaugural festival organizers, whereas the Alcan festival folks (e.g. A. Phelps) have mounted a "home for the False Creek dragon boats" campaign in the media. It's great to see your blog has picked up on all of this, and it's even better to know the actual origins where credit is due perhaps. |
2010 GUNG HAGGIS FAT CHOY Dinner
January 31, 2010 Contact Firehall Arts Centre: phone 604.689.0926 2010 prices SINGLE TICKET $60 + $5 service charge = $65 Student price is $50 + $4.50 = $54.50 (must show student high school or university ID) Children's price is $40 + $4.00 = $44 (ages 13 and under). Reservations for tables of 10 $600 + lower service charge WHAT: GUNG HAGGIS FAT CHOY: Toddish McWong's Robbie Burns Chinese New Year Dinner - 12th Annversary Dinner, celebrating 251st Anniversary of Robert Burns' birth + incoming Chinese New Year of the Tiger. WHEN: 6PM January 31 2010, SUNDAY doors open 5pm, Dinner 6pm WHERE: Floata Chinese Restaurant, #400-180 Keefer St. Media Inquiries Call Gung Haggis Productions / Todd Wong direct: 778-846-7090 email: gunghaggis at yahoo dot ca CULTURE: Our Performers create something special for us every year with traditional and contemporary performances featuring everything in-between and beyond! FOOD: A quirky fusion/mix/buffet of Scottish Canadian and Chinese Canadian culture 10 course Chinese banguet dinner 2004 - The debut of Gung Haggis Won-Ton 2005 - Haggis lettuce wrap! 2007 - Haggis dim sum appetizer buffet 2008 - Scotch tastings! + debut of Gung Haggis parade dragon! 2009 - debut of Gung Haggis Fat Choy Pipes & Drums band + auction of 37 year old special edition Famous Grouse whisky + scotch tastings of Famous Grouse, The Macallan and Highland Park. Watch for more surprises in 2010! Description of 2009 Gung Haggis Fat Choy Dinner co-hosted with CBC News anchor Gloria Macarenko and Media colunist Catherine Barr featuring performers: bagpiper Joe McDonald and Mad Celts, Silk Road Music's Qiu Xia He and Andre Thibault, Opera Soprano Heather Pawsey and DJ Timothy Wisdom, BC Book Prize winner Vancouver poet Rita Wong + poet traslator Tommy Tao, Playwright Adrienne Wong and a scene from "Mixie and The Half-Breeds" Description of 2008 Gung Haggis Fat Choy Dinner co-hosted with Media colunist Catherine Barr featuring performers: , celtic band Blackthorn, bagpiper Joe McDonald and Brave Waves, Ji-Rong Huang on erhu, Film maker Ann-Marie Fleming, Vancouver poet laureate George McWhirter, Playwright Grace Chin and a scene from "The Quickie" Description of 2007 Gung Haggis Fat Choy Dinner co-hosted with CBC Radio's Priya Ramu, featuring performers: Silk Road Music, Heather Pawsey, Brave Waves, Leora Cashe, No Luck Club, Dr. Ian Mason (Burns Club of Vancouver) Lensey Namioka - Author "Half and Half" Margaret Gallagher, "Twisting Fortunes" (sneak preview of play) Description of 2006 Gung Haggis Fat Choy Dinner with co-host with CityTV's Prem Gill featuring performers: Rick Scott & Harry Wong, The Shirleys, Joe McDonald & Brave Waves, Sean Gunn, author Joy Kogawa, ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Gung Haggis Fat Choy Dragon Boat team for lots of summer fun, fitness and friendship. We are a social team full of cultural vigor, that likes to eat. We have been featured on television, local, national and international. We have a unique and internationally famous fundraiser dinner event. We practice starting March Sunday 1:30 pm -3:30 pm Tuesday 6pm-7:45pm We meet at Dragon Zone clubhouse - just south of Science World in Creekside Park above the Aquabus and dragon boat docks. Our coach Todd Wong has 15+ years of experience including novice, recreational and competitive levels, and both community and corporate teams. Our 2008 season took us to races in Burnaby, Vancouver, Vernon, Vancouver Taiwanese race, UBC, Ft. Langley. It was our strongest team ever and we are proud of our race performances. For more information: Click on Gung Haggis Fat Choy Dragon Boat team information phone: 778-846-7090 e-mail: gunghaggis at yahoo dot ca ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sponsors
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