The 5th Annual Dragon Boat Festival
in North Miami Beach, Florida

a cultural experience that promotes harmony and understanding among
people of all ages, diverse ethnicities and background.

Oct 13-14 , 2007

 By Shally Wong

The ancient Chinese sport of dragon boat racing celebrated its fi fth year with two days of excitement
on the calm and beautiful Haulover Beach Park Marina on October 13- 14, 2007.
This paddling adventure and weekend community celebration attracted 32 teams of boating
enthusiasts and dragon boat paddlers - novice and professional - to compete for various Cups
and titles of the Men, Women and Mixed divisions, highlighted
by the 500-meter South Florida Open Champion competition.

“Dragon boat racing began more than 2000 years ago in Asia. Today, it is among the fastest growing water sport in the world, with over 6 million participants in more than 50 countries,” said Johnson
Ng, Executive Director of United Chinese Association of Florida. “Our festival is open to all - local teams compete with participants from across the country and Europe.”

“In addition to supporting October National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we welcome the fi rst Miami breast cancer survivors dragon boat, Team Save Our Sisters (Team SOS), to this year’s festival,”
said Johnny Chiang, Chief Race Consultant. “This is a unique cultural water sport for all individuals working together to build team spirit and work toward a triumphant goal of winning.”
Besides the race, there was an Asian marketplace where attendees could taste authentic ethnic food
and drinks, fi nd Asian gifts and crafts and watch the different demonstrations like
Tai Chi, Martial Arts and Acupuncture. In the middle of the park, there was a stage
with non-stop entertainments including Lion Dance, Japanese Taiko, Belly Dance,
Chinese and Vietnamese Singing, and Egg roll eating contest.

“We continue to build on the excitement generated by the four previous
dragon boat festivals. This colorful and exciting event has become an annual attraction in South
Florida, further enriching the cultural diversity of Miami-Dade County and enhancing Miami Beach’s appeal to tourists,” said Winnie Tang, President of United Chinese Association of Florida.

The South Florida Dragon Boat Festival is organized by United Chinese Association of Florida
- a non-profit 501(c) 3 organization. The event is sponsored by Miami-Dade County and Parks,
Miami- Dade County Tourist Development Council and Cultural Affairs, Panda Express, King of Fans,
Eva Air, Lease, Gateway Insurance, Motorola, 1st Oriental Supermarket, State Farm Insurance,
Aritex, Eureka Marine Products, Top Value. Media sponsors included The Miami Herald,
Sun-Sentinel, The United Chinese News, Asia Trend Magazine, Korean News, The Sun Post,
Hot 105FM, South Florida Parenting Magazine.

2008 SOUTH FLORIDA DRAGON BOAT FESTIVAL
will be held on OCT 18-19 SATURDAY & SUNDAY.
Visit www.MiamiDragonBoat.com for more details.

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Details contact Asia Trend Magazine