by Jian Ping

CHICAGO, June 25 (Xinhua) -- Lion dance, to the tune of drums and cheers from the audience, kicks off the Dragon Boat Race on the Chicago River in Chicago's Chinatown on Saturday to celebrate the traditional Chinese Dragon Boat Festival.

Over 30 teams participated in the annual event.

"The Chinese dragon boat race has a tradition of over 2,000 years," said Eddie Ni, board chairman of the Chinatown Chamber of Commerce. "The race symbolizes the power of teamwork, celebrates diversity and bridges cultural gaps."

Ernest Wong, an architect who designed the Ping Tom Memorial Park in Chinatown, told Xinhua that the dragon boat race in Chicago started in 2000, right after the park was opened.

"We are celebrating the 23rd race this year," said Wong.

"We train for four months, and all our members are from our Asian Coalition of Employees and its allies at the bank," said Tia Medina, captain of the BMO Bank team. "The event brings our colleagues working in various departments together and has also been a family event for me."

Medina said her 15-year-old daughter was the drummer, and her 14-year-old son was a paddler for her team last year. "And my fiancee is the drummer of our team this year."

"We love to be part of the Asian community and show our support for them as the country sees more attacks on Asians now," she said.

Sixty-one-year-old Chicagoan Doug Nebel was impressed with the event. "I didn't know anything about the race before."

On the tournament's sidelines were children's activities, vendor booths and entertainment programming, including dance, martial arts and music.

Wong said he expected over two thousand people would be at the event by the end of the day.

The Chicago Chinatown Chamber of Commerce organizes the Dragon Boat Race in partnership with the Chicago Park District and the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events. Part of the proceeds from the event will go to supporting local schools and organizations for their literacy programs.