The first team to pull out the flag at the end of a dragon boat race in Colorado wins the 150-meter competition. (Jeff Towery, provided by Colorado Dragon Boat Festival)
The three Rotary clubs of Oak Ridge, which are planning to launch the inaugural Oak Ridge Dragon Boat Festival this spring, have announced a change of date for the community fundraiser. The festival will be held Saturday, May 31, 2014, at the Oak Ridge Marina and Pavilion in Melton Lake Park.
In addition, the clubs have announced a new website for the Oak Ridge Dragon Boat Festival: http://oakridge.racedragonboats.com/.
“The purpose of the festival is to provide a venue for dragon boat races, offer food and musical entertainment, and raise funds for a special project and nonprofit service organizations in the community,” said Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson, president of the Rotary Club of Oak Ridge.
The boat-racing event, launched by OARS in the Water, will celebrate Oak Ridge’s waterfront and signature rowing venue. OARS stands for the Oak Ridge Association of Rotarians. The other two clubs are the Oak Ridge Breakfast Rotary and Oak Ridge Sunset Rotary clubs.
A dragon boat is a long, low boat adorned with a snarling dragonhead at the boat’s front end, as in the Chinese tradition. Dragon boat races have become popular events in many U.S. cities, ranging in size from Philadelphia and San Francisco to Knoxville and Owensboro, Ky.
Penny Behling of Dynamic Dragon Boat Races LLC of Knoxville takes over as steerer of this dragon boat during a race in Owenboro, Ky., and gets the team back on course. She is responsible for the new website of the inaugural Oak Ridge Dragon Boat Festival. (Submitted photo)
This all-day Dragon Boat Festival race will be an entertaining competition among teams of 22 people each: 20 paddlers, a drummer (who keeps the beat to synchronize the paddlers’ strokes), and a steerer (provided by the contractor in charge of the races).
The teams of 21 volunteers each will come from community employers and organizations, many of which are signing up to become corporate sponsors of the event.
The goal of OARS in the Water is to turn this inaugural boat race into an annual fundraising festival that will build up the Oak Ridge Rotary Community Fund, a nonprofit organization, and meet needs in the community in legacy projects, and in educational, children’s, and health programs.
A typical dragon boat race course is 150 meters, or 164 yards—about one and two-thirds of a football field.
“All proceeds from the event will stay in the Oak Ridge area,” said Tony Jordan, president of the Oak Ridge Sunset Rotary Club. “The funds will support literacy projects, science fairs, musical organizations, and local nonprofit service organizations such as the Free Medical Clinic, Boys and Girls Club, Girls Inc., and Children’s Museum.”
OARS contracted with Dynamic Dragon Boat Racing LLC of Knoxville to operate the races safely and provide the dragon boats, other equipment, paddler and drummer training, and skilled people to steer the boat of each team. The company has successfully managed races in Alabama, Arkansas, Montana, and Tennessee.
Event sponsorship levels are $1,000, $2,500, and $5,000. The entry fee for one dragon boat team is $750.
“This festival should be a great event that brings the community together for fun while raising funds to benefit the community,” said Austin Lance, president of the Oak Ridge Breakfast Rotary Club.
The organizing committee includes members of all three Rotary clubs, and the leaders are Jim Sumner, Keith Kahl, and Leslie England. For more information, contact England at [email protected] or (865) 318-1910.
