15th Annual Chicago Dragon Boat Race for Literacy

Saturday, June 27, 2015 | Ping Tom Memorial Park | 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

CHICAGO, IL – On Saturday, June 27, 2015, thousands of visitors are expected to attend the 15th Annual Chicago DragonBoat Race for Literacy. The event, organized by the Chicago Chinatown Chamber of Commerce, will take place at Ping Tom Memorial Park, 300 West 19th Street along the south branch of the Chicago River in Chinatown.

Thirty teams will compete on the Chicago River in beautifully decorated dragon boats, each consisting of 20 members: 18 paddlers, 1 drummer and 1 flag catcher. The 18 paddlers, each with an oar, row to the beat of the drummer, while the flag catcher of each team pulls a flag positioned in the water at the finish line. The top 2 winning teams will race for the championship. Races begin at 8 am. The Opening Ceremony begins with a Lion Dance at 9 am. In addition to the boat tournament, the

day will consist of children’s activities, entertainment programming throughout the day including an appearance by Southpaw of the Chicago White Sox, a concert by VanderCook College of Music and more! Participate in a fun scavenger hunt to learn about Chinatown. A Free Trolley will take visitors from Ping Tom Memorial Park down Wentworth Ave. and looping back throughout the event from 9 am – 4 pm.

The Chinese dragon boat race has a history of over 2,000 years and is a popular sport amongst Chinese-American communities all over the nation. This year’s race will feature thirty teams from corporations and community organizations: Team BMO-BMO Harris Bank, Allstate 3AN, American Airlines Flying Dragons, AT&T APCA Dragons, Chicago FireDepartment, Chicago Made-Choose Chicago, Chi-town Blades-CDW, Discover, DragoNG-Northrop Grumman, Go-Universal-Universal Logistics, Grainger Dragons, HSBC Red Dragons, Lakeside Bank Fireballs, Miller Coors, OSI Group LLC, Paddling Prosecutors-Cook County State’s Attorney, Pan PepsiCo, Peking University, Sync or Swim-Wells Fargo, TAP Chicago, Team Trooper-Illinois State Troopers, UIC Pyro Paddlers, Tsinghua University, US Bank, United Sky Dragons 1K-United Airlines, United Sky Dragons GS-United Airlines, We Love Hong Kong-Hong Kong Economic & Trade Office of New York, Wheezin Dragon-Northrop Gruman, World Book Mighty Dragons, and 22 Cannibals-We Ate Magellan.

This year’s Dragon Boat Race for Literacy is presented in partnership with the Chicago Park District, Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, Office of 25th Ward Alderman Daniel Solis, Chicago Marine Heritage Society, Canal StreetMarina Yacht Yard, Friends of the Chicago River and Mercy Hospital and Medical Center. The Official Title Sponsor is Hong Kong Economic & Trade Office of New York; Presenting Sponsor is Chinatown Parking Corp; Trolley Sponsor is Illinois State Lottery; whilst event sponsors are AScene, BMO Harris Bank, Chicago South Loop Hotel, Comcast, KIND Snacks, nielsen, PepsiCo and US Bank. A portion of the proceeds from the event are donated to local schools and organizations that help promote literacy.

Visitors are encouraged to take public transportation to the event. Public parking will be limited. Chinatown is easily accessible via the CTA Red Line, CTA buses and Chicago Water Taxi which will dock near the race site. The FREE Chinatown Trolley will stop near the CTA Red Line stations and along Wentworth Ave.

For further information about the 15th Annual Dragon Boat Race for Literacy, please contact Chicago Chinatown Chamber of Commerce at 312-326-5320, info@chicagochinatown.org or visit www.chicagochinatown.org.

2015 Dragon Boat Race Schedule 2015 DBR Entertainment Schedule

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Founded in 1983, the Chicago Chinatown Chamber of Commerce is a non-partisan, not-for-profit organization dedicated to serving the needs of Chicago’s Chinatown. Its mission is to improve business opportunities and to educate others on the history, culture, and diversity of the Chinese-American community. The vision of the Chamber is to increase revenue streams for community businesses by making Chinatown a major destination point for visitors to the Midwest, City of Chicago and the State of Illinois.
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