Category Archives: Gung Haggis dragon boat team information

Look for a Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat float in the Vancouver St. Patrick's Day Parade – March 13,2005

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I just picked up the St.Patrick's Day Parade package for Vancouver's Celtic Fest 2005, to be held Sunday, March 13th 2005. 
Steve McVittie is Grand Parade Marshall and a pretty cool guy.  He
is proprietor of Celtic Treasures on Dunbar St. 

Steve loved that I put a dragon boat as a float in the 2004 parade, and
kept after me to make sure the Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat float
returned for 2005.  “It was one of the better floats that people
talked about.  It's important to be multicultural and to have
these elements in the parade, ” Steve told me.  This parade is
about being Canadian.  We leave all the politics behind and
celebrate what this country has to offer.  Where else can you do
that?  Vancouver is one of the most non-Irish cities – but
everybody celebrates St. Patrick's Day!”

For 2004, Bob Brinson helped me put a Taiwanese dragon boat on a
trailer, which I towed in a rented pick up truck.  For the parade,
Joe McDonald and his Brave Waves
band mate Andrew Kim sat in the dragon boat playing bagpipes and
electric guitar from start at Drake Street to the finish at Hastings
Street.  Along the way dragon boat team members Tracy Wong and Jen
Yeung waved the flag and the paddles.  We were also accompanied by
Highland dancers taught by  Angus MacKenzie.  For the full
story and photos that featured a flat tire see 2004 St.Patrick's Day Parade.

For 2005, the Gung Haggis Fat Choy float will again feature a Taiwanese
dragon boat.  Vancouver city counsellor Ellen Woodsworth will be a
guest and wave to people from the front of the boat.  Maybe we
will give her a flag to wave or a drum to beat, or teach her how to climb onto the dragon head.  Musicians will again be featured on the boat.  It might be Brave Waves, or it might be Dragon River. 
I am also looking forward to creating the first ever Dragon Boat
Paddler Marching Drill Team, as I plan to lead team members and
volunteers through paddle drills holding green paddles!

Almost Finished! our dragon boat head carvings for Gung Haggis dragon boat team

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Carving dragon boat heads is a lot of work.  Imagine standing
while hammering and chiseling for almost 5 hours a day.  Both Bob
Brinson and I were there everyday.  Bob supervised our carving
when I had to work at the library, and I supervised when he had his
errands.

The carving experience exceeded our expectations of how much fun and
how much work it would be.  I would definitely recommend it for
every dragon boat team to try.  It brings everybody together both
on the team, and amongst the teams in the workshop.  We
recommended that 6 teams would be a good number and having a minimum of
6 people from each team participating.  We were definitely plagued
by a lack of participants as many of our team members were unable to
attend the mid-week carving sessions.  I would definitely
recommend including TWO weekends, as Saturdays and Sundays would also
encourage the most spectators. 

The first time you do anything is always a challenge.  We have
lots of pictures and stories to share over beers and nachos now. 

See all our carving pictures at www.gunghaggisfatchoy.com/blog/DragonBoatheadcarving

Media reports for Vancouver's first dragon boat head & tail carving experience!

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Watch City TV for February 25th 11pm news.
Watch Vancouver Sun – not the Saturday edition – but next week soon.

Watch CBC TV – afternoon programs throughout March for “B-Connected” – Community updates throughout the day.

Anita Webster – media and communications coordinator for the Alcan
Dragon Boat Festival sent out press releases and contacted media to
alert them to the first-ever dragon boat head & tail carving
workshop in North America.

CBC TV had filmed us on Monday, Wednesday and came in on Friday for a
final report to check out progress development.  Laurence Knight
was director of the sequences that were filmed on Friday afternoon.

City TV came down as well, and filmed each of the dragon boat heads and
the teams in action.  Somehow… I was asked to give an
explanation on camera, about what was happening.  “We are carving
dragon boat heads and tails out of cedar logs.  The first time
ever this has happened that I know of, in North America.  Four
teams were selected for this pilot project.  Abreast in a Boat,
Women on Water came all the way from Ft. Langley, The Wong Way – a
family of Wongs… and Gung Haggis Fat Choy – the team that specializes
in multicultural fun highlighting Chinese and Scottish culture,” I said
wearing my green Gung Haggis Fat Choy t-shirt proudly.

It was kind of fun with the tv cameras in for the final day.  We
were proud of the work we had accomplished.  Each team has come a
long way.  We all marvelled at each others works of art. 
Every dragon has its own personality.  I hope every team can have
this wonderful chance to create something special like we had.