Boatloads of fun
Annual dragon boat festival benefits community programs
There was a ton of fun to be had on and off the water at the third annual Texarkana Dragon Boat Festival Saturday at Bringle Lake Park.
Partly sunny skies and a good breeze provided optimum conditions for race participants and attendees who found a variety of activities to enjoy, including volleyball, soccer and a jump house.
There was also plenty of action on the water among the 18 teams participating in this year’s fundraiser. Each team raced three times, and races took a minute and a half to two minutes to complete on the 300- meter course, depending on the teams’ skills.
Nichole Peterson attended the festival with her family.
“It’s been good. It’s nice out here, and they’ve enjoyed it. One of their teachers is in a race, so we came to support her,” Peterson said.
Proceeds from the festival benefit HandsOn Texakana, which serves the community in several ways including skilled-parenting classes,
matching volunteers with volunteer opportunities, youth volunteer opportunities, senior transportation services and disaster preparedness.
“We’ve built this event around the participants,” said David Carter, HandsOn board member and race coordinator. “We have between 400 and 500 participants on the teams, and we welcome anyone else that wants to come out and enjoy themselves.”
Carter said the festival has been a big success for HandsOn.
“It’s different. It’s the only one in this area, and it gives people the opportunity to compete as a team,” Carter said.
Teams participating in this year’s event included the Barbell Bombshells, Barbell Butterflies, Boggy Creek Monsters, Bootleggers, Brains and Brawn, Cajun Invasion, Discoverers, Domtar Dominators, Firebreathing Misfits, FwdFit’s Get Knotty, GPI Landlubbers, HCE Dirty Oars, Row Above Average, Stop Dragon My HEART Around, Team JCM, Texarkana Marines, Texas A&M-T and Wadley Water Warriors.