Colorado Dragon Boat Festival
celebrates 15th year with new Two Days of Anime tent
by Gil Asakawa 
Get ready for
CDBF 2015!
WHAT: 15th Annual Colorado Dragon Boat Festival, the region’s largest celebration of pan-Asian culture
WHEN: Saturday and Sunday, July 18-19, 2015
WHERE: Sloan’s Lake Park, 25th Ave. & Sheridan Blvd, Denver
COST: FREE admission!
PARKING: Sports Authority Field with FREE shuttle buses to the festival!
FOR MORE INFORMATION: http://www.cdbf.org
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The Colorado Dragon Boat Festival returns to Denver’s Sloan’s Lake Park on July 18-19, 2015 with over 100 Asian and Asian American performances on five stages, authentic Asian cuisine at two Taste of Asia Food Courts, a colorful Asian Marketplace and Wellness Village and of course the ancient, exciting sport of Dragon Boat Racing. For the 15 Annual CDBF on July 18-19, 2015, the festival introduces a new festival feature: Two Days of Anime, a tent screening a variety of family-friendly Japanese animation all weekend!
Two Days of Anime will be programmed by Colorado Anime Fest, the newest addition to Colorado’s rich anime and manga (comics) scene (www.coloradoanimefest.com). Anime is one of the most popular forms of Japanese culture to be embraced by fans of all ages in the U.S., with series aimed at viewers from children to adults. In the Two Days of Anime tent, festival guests will be able to enjoy – or be introduced to – anime from kids’ cartoons to epic science fiction action films.
Two Days of Anime will also feature a very special guest, Chuck Huber, who is an American voice actor, Automatic Dialogue Replacement director, and script adapter who works primarily for FUNimation. He’s best known as Hiei in “Yu Yu Hakusho,” Dr. Stein in “Soul Eater,” and Austria in “Hetalia.” Huber will be on hand to speak to fans and sign autographs.
In the Gateway to Asia area, the cultures of Indonesia and the Hmong community will be spotlighted with exhibit tents and performances, and a special display about artifacts from the Amache Japanese American concentration camp in southeast Colorado will be assembled.
Many of the spectators who come every year to the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival are there for the “main event”: The dragon boat races. This year, 48 teams representing companies, communities and organizations will compete in two competitive divisions using two different types of boats. Each team will have family and friends on hand to cheer them on. And everyone will be cheering on the three Wound Warrior Race Teams who will be competing this year!
In 2014, the first Wounded Warriors team of disabled veterans raced during the festival and placed fifth overall. This year, we’ll feature a team from the Wounded Warriors Project, a team of multi-era disabled veterans from the Veterans Administration, and a team of civilians that includes caregivers and supporters of these American heroes.
The Wounded Warriors teams are organized by Adaptive Adventures, a national non-profit organization that provides “life-changing opportunities for individuals with physical disabilities and their families. Through freedom of mobility, the organization empowers individuals and helps them build the confidence and gain the inspiration to accomplish their life goals.”
Adaptive Adventures states on its website (http://adaptiveadventures.org), “Dragon Boat racing creates an inclusive environment where people of all fitness levels and abilities can unite as a team and have fun! It focuses on working as a team to achieve one common goal, the finish line. Outside of competitions, Dragon Boat teams provide a community where you can find commitment, encouragement, and support.”
The Colorado Dragon Boat Festival has built that community for the ancient sport of dragon boat racing for 15 years. It’s also celebrated the region’s thriving and diverse Asian and Asian American communities since 2001, and last year brought 125,000 people to Sloan’s Lake Park to enjoy the performances, shop and dine in the Marketplace and Taste of Asia Food Courts.
