Has anyone been to the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival in Denver?

Hi, I'm a volunteer with the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival and have been with them since the first year, so I can say with certainty that everyone should attend! This year it's Sat-Sun July 27-28 at Sloan's Lake Park -- You can park for $5 per vehicle at Sports Authority Field and take our free shuttle busses to and from the festival all weekend.

The tug-of-war races you mention will be part of the "Fun" extra races scheduled for the dragon boat race teams this year. Most of the time there will be straightforward timed races, in two styles of boats: Taiwan-style boats that have a flag catcher who leans out over the front of the boat to grab a flag at the end; and Hong Kong style competitive boats which are fast and low in the water. Both have teams of 18 paddlers and a drummer to keep time.

But the races are just part of CDBF. There are almost 100 performances on five stages over the weekend featuring both traditional Asian cultures and contemporary Asian American acts (one, the Cheapsuits Blues Band, has a 17-year-old young woman on guitar who can play like Eric Clapton!). There's also an Asian Marketplace with over 50 vendors, and two Taste of Asia food courts with authentic Asian cuisine (and some "American" food like hot dogs and funnel cakes). This year's theme is "Commit To Be Fit" and there's even a Zodiac Dash 3.5K Fun Run on Sunday morning at 8:30 am before the festival, and we're inviting runners of all ages to come and particpate in costumes or masks that reflect their animal of the Chinese zodiac.

There's tons of information on the website: www.cdbf.org

Hope to see y'all there!