Who wants to design and/or carve a wooden dragon boat head and tail? in Vancouver?
The Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team will be one of only four
participating teams in a spcecial pilot project organized by Master
carver Eric Neighbor and the Alcan Dragon Boat Festival at the Round
House Community Centre – starting Sunday Feb 20 and going to Friday Feb
25. This is a great opportunity to have some fun, and to create
something as a collective “team”.
If you are a “retired” paddler or a “new recruit” or want to bring “a
friend” – that is fine – I just have to know
the numbers and who wants to participate. Become an active team member
or a honourary team member. You will be in great company as Vancouver
Mayor Larry Campbell has asked for one of our team shirts after
attending our January 30th Chinese Robbie Burns fundraiser dinner – the
infamous “Gung Haggis Fat Choy”!
If you can only attend one day that is okay…
if you can attend every carving session… that is okay too.
I just need to recruit you onto the “carving team.”
The introduction meeting is Sunday February 20th, at the Roundhouse
Community Centre at Davie St. and Pacific Blvd. in Yaletown. 1:45 to
5:45pm.
CBC Television will film the 4 teams carving on Monday evening and Friday evening – as the schedule
for carving runs like this:
Sunday – Introduction / design & sketches 1:45pm to 5:00 pm
Monday, Wednesday, Thursday & Friday – carving sessions are late afternoon to evening 3pm to 9pm?
Tuesday is late afternoon only 3pm to 5:30pm?
No power tools will be used. The workshop instructor is Eric
Neighbor. There is lots of Bio information on his web site,
www.klorker.com .
Eric says:
“The project originated from watching the boats on race day,
looking so proud with their beautiful heads and tails on and thinking
to myself “I bet some of those teams would like to make their own boat
decorations”. Regarding what to expect from the
workshop; I'm not sure what to expect myself. Although I have taught
carving to more than 4,000 people, I have not taught this workshop. I
will try to make it as flexible to team's needs as possible. Having
said that, I envision interested team members to pair up with another
member to work together on a head or tail, for at least two of the five
carving sessions.
A schedule of carving times will be made up at our
planning/design session, which everyone should come to, on Sunday February 20th.
The carving sessions will last for 5 hours each and run Monday, February 21
– Friday February 25. The actual hours will be decided with team participation,
on Sunday Feb 20.
“I anticipate most sessions will start late afternoon and run into the evening,
except for Tuesday, Feb 22, when I am not available after 5:30pm. The workshops
will be happening in the Round House main space and will be viewable by the public
– from a distance. I will provide all tools/materials, but people are encouraged to bring
their own as well.No power tools. I encourage team's to discuss potential designs
before we meet.
“Does the majority want a traditional design or a non-traditional design?
Please forward any further questions. I'm so excited!”
– Eric Neighbour
www.klorker.com