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FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.couriersun.com AUGUST 14, 2014 • THE COURIER SUN 11 Thousands come to the 24th annual Dragon Boat Festival THE COURIER/ Photos by Eric Jankiewicz The Dragon Boat race is held every year and this weekend thousands came to Flushing Meadows Lake to celebrate the 24th annual race. BY QUEENS COURIER STAFF editorial@queenscourier.com Dragons invaded Flushing Meadows Lake this weekend. But instead of fi re and wings, these dragons had paddlers and beating war drums. The 24th annual Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival began on the morning of Aug. 9 with thousands of people coming to the lake to watch 197 teams compete in boat races. “There are people here today from all over the world coming to Queens for this wonderful event,” Borough President Melinda Katz said. “When you go back home, wherever that may be, tell your friends and family to come back next year and spend a lot of money in Queens.” The race is a Chinese tradition that goes back thousands of years and the Flushing Meadows Corona Park dragon boat race was just one of many races being held across the world. In the crowd, Dennis Liu, 23, and his fellow paddlers watched the stage as Katz and other politicians talked about the race. “I love this sport,” Liu said. “It’s all about camaraderie and the rush of the race.” Liu, who is a member of the team MAD, has been practicing with his 22-member team for the whole summer. Many teams represent companies through corporate sponsorships or, in the case of Katz’s Thunder Cats, represent politicians. But Liu’s team is just a group of high school friends who enjoy the sport and come back every year. Twenty-fi ve teams won fi rst place, with cash prizes that ranged from $500 to $1,500. AFFORDABLE FOOTWEAR FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY BACK TO SCHOOL SALE UP TO 50% OFF! 190-17 LINDEN BLVD. ST. ALBANS, NY 11412 917-387-8798 CLOTHING &TEXTILES at GREENMARKET Weekly collections at more than 35 Greenmarkets citywide, including Jackson Heights, Forest Hills, Sunnyside and Corona. We accept clean and dry textiles like clothing, paired shoes, coats, linens, scarves, hats, bags and belts. Materials will be sorted for reuse or recycling. www.GrowNYC.org/clothing 212.788.7964 GrowNYC’s Office of Recycling Outreach and Education is a NYC Department of Sanitation funded program


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