Dragon Boat West

The date for the 2007 Salem Oregon World Beat Dragon Boat Race has been set for July 1st, 2007.  This One day race is a fun, exciting way to celebrate all of the different cultures in the World.

The website will be updated shortly. www.worldbeatfestival.org

Hope to see you there,
Ayla from Portland

The Registration Forms have been updated on the website!
www.worldbeatfestival.org

Come on down to Salem for a World Beat Celebration. The World Beat is Celebrating it's 10 year Anniversary!

Ayla

Gee... the Salem World Beat Festival looks like a wonderful multicultural event.

lots of different cultures from around the world.  Even pipes and drums - perfect for the kilt wearing paddlers from Gung Haggis Fat Choy team.

But... it is on Canada Day.  That means we would miss all the Canadian taxpayer subsidized free entertainment.

Hmmm.... inaugural Whistler Dragon Boat race on Alta Lake or drive 6 to 8 hours from Vancouver BC, to Salem OR.

Wait - if enough of the team can get the Monday off in lieu of Canada Day statutory holiday... then it might just be doable.  But Whistler is only 90 minutes from Vancouver... and if we can borrow my cousin's cabin...

i think gung haggis should keep his thoughts and comments to himself.

wtf was the point of this post?   :think:
it does look interesting/like it'd be fun.  too bad i'll be at work making double time and a half.

 :D

Hi Ayla!

Thank you for the information about your Oregan Festival - it sounds like fun!  :P

I am presently looking for a team so I can't say yet whether I will be able to attend...

Maybe we can get a few teams down there to represent Canada - or if no teams are available  maybe we can keep open friendly US/CND relations and encourage some people to join your teams paddlers are needed  :)

Sorry for being obtuse earlier...  please allow me to be more specific.

Thank you Ayla for posting information about the Salem World Beat Dragon Boat Race.

It sounds WONDERFUL.   I like that it will really emphasize a multicultural component, as many dragon boat festivals were started with this concept in mind, to use dragon boat racing as a component for drawing people to multicultural festivals.  I checked the www.worldbeatfestival.org website and discovered the vast array of cultures from around the world are well represented with "villages" emphasizing Asian/Pacific, Americas, Africa and Europe.

By learning more about other cultures and races, it helps society become less prone to racism.  This is a good reminder for our lives both in Canada and the US, as we recognize the recent January 15th Martin Luther King Day.

Oregon is one of my favorite places to visit.  Oregon teams have always been great to the Gung Haggis Fat Choy team and paddlers, and we really loved attending the inaugural Portland Sellwood Park race.  And the Willemette Valley is home to one of North America's premier wine growing areas, after Napa Valley and of course BC's wonderful Okanagan Valley.

I would love to attend Salem World Beat Dragon Boat race, but will be hard pressed not to attend the inaugural Whistler Dragon Boat Race at Alta Lake.

Good luck on the Salem World Beat Dragon Boat Festival

I didn't believe that Todd(ish) mean the post to come out that way.  Thanks for clearing it up.  I hope you enjoyed your haggis.   :sick:

It's a long way away for us Calgary teams, but I also love Portland.  Great destination for us beer snobs nerds drinkers.  I doubt that I could convince more than four or five of my teammates to attend, however.

Hello Ayla.

I LOVE WORLD MUSIC. Would definitely come out for the Salem DBF. However, attending a wedding that weekend. Going to make it to an Oregon festival one way or another this season. Perhaps as a mercenary on a team headed that way for the Rose Festival. Have friends in Portland that I'd like to visit. Will keep Salem in mind for next year.

Cheers,

Nestah14

Thanks for all the great support!  The Salem venue is very unique. I really like the different villages that are set up. Adding Dragon Boat Races to this event is just a bonus to us who love the sport. This is the World Beats 10th Anniversary and the 3rd year of Dragon Boat Racing.

Hey Todd and Nestah... If you can't make it to Salem perhaps you will come on down to Portland for our venue at Tom McCall Waterfront Park in September?  DragonSports USA has moved our venue to a larger park to accommodate more teams. We are planning a beer garden, food, craft vendors and many other exciting things for this event. 

I am the Visiting Team Coordinator so, Anyone interested in coming down let me know. We are having host teams for the visiting teams. I heard the Sync or Swim Dragon Boat Team is putting on the Paddlers Party on Saturday night.

This should be a blast!!!   This will be the first time Hong Kong Style boats have been raced at this race site! 
Portland is AWESOME in September. Race Date: September 8-9, 2007

Ayla from Portland