Gaginang

Calling all Southern California Gaginang members!!!  It's that time of year again!  Dragon boat races in Los Angeles' Echo Park Lake! 

What's the special occasion, you ask?  Originated in 1972, City of Los Angeles Department of Parks and Recreation decided to promote awareness and understanding of what the Asian people have contributed to in regards to the culture of Los Angeles and its surrounding communities.  They did this by holding an annual Lotus Festival.  According to Asian culture, the lotus flower is a symbol of rebirth, purity, and life.  The lotus flower blooms in July, and not only is Echo Park Lake a central location for Asian and Pacific Islander communities, it also houses the largest lotus bed in the United States!

The proceeds from the dragon boat races support scholarships to graduating high school students in the Los Angeles community.

*Photos from the 2007 and 2008 races. We placed 13th of 39 teams in 2007 and 16th of 36 teams in 2008.

So how does Gaginang get involved?  We'd like to establish a team of 8 members, minimum 4 females, and enter in their community division.  Each team is allowed a 20-minute practice on Saturday, June 25.  Actual race date will either be on July 9th or 10th, 2011 (depending on the team's availability).  Let's get together and beat our former times... and while we're at it, tell the world that we are indeed "gaginang!" =)

For more information, please visit http://www.lotusfestival.org/.

If you have any questions, or would like to sign up, please email Fong at fong.trinh @ gaginang.org.  Sign-ups will be taken through May 31st.