Asia Like It

If you ask me, the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival, which made its debut at Sloan’s Lake in 2001, is just about the best thing that ever happened to summer in Denver, brimming over with just the right amount of everything you’d possibly want from a fest: First and foremost, it’s...

By Susan Froyd

July 27, 2006

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If you ask me, the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival, which made its debut at Sloan’s Lake in 2001, is just about the best thing that ever happened to summer in Denver, brimming over with just the right amount of everything you’d possibly want from a fest: First and foremost, it’s got overall quality, and that includes the food, the entertainment, the shopping, the kids’ activities and the sport itself. And what a sport it is, like nothing else in town: Think of it as the Hayao Miyazaki version of rowing, with long, decorated canoes shaped like dragons carrying crews that include a drummer and a brave flag-puller who sits atop the dragon’s head like a figurehead on the prow. But there’s so much more to do and see, so allow yourself plenty of time to wander and soak up the Pan-Asian culture.

Attend the Dragon Boat Fest — this year based near the Sloan’s Lake boathouse, at 23rd Avenue and Stuart Street — today or tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; admission is free, but you’ll want to blow your dough on the awesome food (meet me at the stand where they sell banana lumpia — I’ll be there, eating myself to a slow, painless death). For information, log on to www.cdbf.org or call 303-722-6852.
Sat., July 26, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; Sun., July 27, 10 a.m.-7 p.m., 2008

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Susan Froyd started writing for Westword as the "Thrills" editor in 1992 and never quite left the fold. These days she still freelances for the paper in addition to walking her dogs, enjoying cheap ethnic food and reading voraciously. Sometimes she writes poetry.

Contact: Susan Froyd

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