Bright, colorful boats have become a staple at Sloan’s Lake, lining up once a year to welcome fans to the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival.
This is the culmination of Ding-Wen Hsu’s dream to not only bring together members of the Colorado Asian community, but also introduce non-Asians to the rich diversity of Asian culture.
“We have a lot to share, and the U.S. is probably the only country in the world where you don’t have to go far to learn about other cultures,” Hsu said. “The festival itself is a lot of colors and sounds and is very interesting.”
Hsu, a Colorado businesswoman whose company Pacific Western Technologies is headquartered in Lakewood, moved to the United States from Taiwan in 1976.
In more than 20 years of living in Colorado, Hsu’s efforts to educate and promote diversity earned her the honor of being one of eight women picked in 2007 as the Women of Jeffco.
Hsu realized the 3.9 percent Asian population of the state did little to organize or introduce other people to its heritage.
In the Denver metro area, there are 72 different Asian dialects spoken, and Hsu wanted those groups to know each other better.
Thus began her plan to start an event that would bring together the more than 30 Asian ethnic groups and the general public.
She began organizing in 1999, and it took two years to gather funding, community support and members of the Asian community who were willing to participate.
Hsu pulled from her business acumen and resources, gathering fellow Asian women and men who also hailed from business backgrounds to help set the groundwork for the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival that debuted in 2001.
The first year, she expected 600 people to show up, but the demand for the event turned out to be much higher when more than 15,000 people arrived to learn and watch the boats race. The festival has continued to grow and become a tradition, attracting 105,000 people in 2007.
Many of the people who helped the first year are still putting countless hours into helping organize and constantly rejuvenate the event.
Although many had volunteered, none had put together a festival before. But they loved Hsu’s idea and her drive.
“The people that work with me, they put their heart and soul into this festival and making this happen,” Hsu said.
“We love our community, and we were willing to put ourselves out there and take a huge risk.”
Karen Nakandakare, of Okinawan Japanese descent, smoothed the road for the festival in its early years and now works on community relationships.
She helped alleviate fears in the Sloan’s Lake neighborhood that the festival would leave trash everywhere and make the park inaccessible for the neighborhood.
After many public meetings and a few years of the event, it is now an event Sloan’s Lake residents embrace and even advertise as being a quality part of the neighborhood.
Hsu’s ability to bring people together is what made the festival such a success, Nakandakare said.
“How do you walk away from an organization that is only trying to do good and educate people about Asian diversity?” she asked. “Some of us didn’t even know each other, but (Hsu) knew how to bring us together, and we became really, really good friends.”
Such good friends that the meetings often last for two hours with chatting and catching up on family happenings.
But Hsu always brings them back to the focus. Hsu used to teach, and she sometimes brings that classroom environment into play.
Erin Yoshimura, also of Japanese descent, manages the performance arts stage, one of many hats she has worn for the event.
She said Hsu lets the group be creative while also keeping things realistic.
All of the woman and men are successful in their own right, something that Hsu has embraced.
“She is a leader of leaders,” Yoshimura said. “You’re working hard, and you see Ding working harder, and it doesn’t feel like work. We really enjoy each other.”
Mary Lee Chin, a Chinese American who now manages the cultural education part of the festival, recognized that part was something Hsu wanted from the beginning.
Although Hsu will point to each volunteers’ commitment and help, each one also recognizes that the festival could not have taken place without her vision and planning.
“We jokingly call her ‘Mom’ because she’s very directive,” Chin said. “It is really the relationships and friends I have developed that make this so personal for me.”
Hsu has been able to accomplish her own personal agenda, as well.
“I want people to learn about different cultures so it takes away the prejudices and fears in people,” she said. “When you see the beautiful things and the creativity, people see they’re just like us and just want a better life. You see person after person with big smiles on their faces at the festival, so they’re having fun learning.”
IN 2008
The eighth annual Colorado Dragon Boat Festival takes place July 26 and 27 at Sloan’s Lake Park. The festival will sponsor for the first time regional dragon boat races among its many cultural, gourmet and performance events. For more information, visit www.cdbf.org.
Lakewood Community Editor Jennifer Gilbert can be reached at 303-279-5541, ext. 263.