Dragon boats draw crowds to Riverfront Park

There’s nothing like a summer day on the waterfront.

Norristown families got a chance to experience that during Norristown Community Fun Day held at Riverfront Park.

In addition to the Schuylkill River views, guests could enjoy food, live music by the Allen Reynolds Band, painting, yoga, games and multiple demonstrations including Kung Fu, boxing and rescues.

Perhaps the biggest draw of the day was the Norristown Dragon Boat club activities.

Dragon Boating is a team racing sport that started in ancient China over 3000 years ago. According to the Norristown Dragon Boat Club website:

“The Dragon Boat Club has grown to over 60 paddlers of varying degrees of experience with a shared goal of support, camaraderie, commitment, and a strong cohesiveness of love for the dragon boat, we pride ourselves in our community outreach programs such as; youth fellowship / mentoring, clean park and river drive, and our newest venture in breast cancer awareness.”

On Saturday, the club hosted a cardboard boat contest and race.

Participants built boats out of mostly cardboard and duct tape to hold one to two people that they then raced in the river.

After the race, guests could learn all about dragon boating and take a short trip on the river in a dragon boat.

“I’ve been on the dragon boat team now for three years and it’s been fantastic,” said Christine Sherbert with the Dragon Boat Club. “We have four different teams. We have a competitive team, we have a race team, a youth team and a breast cancer survivor team.

“The really cool thing this year is that we actually had three of our paddlers make Team USA. So right now they’re in Thailand competing for the USA.”

MARIAN DENNIS — MEDIANEWS GROUP Guests at Saturday’s Norristown Family Fun Day took a ride in the Schuylkill River in a dragon boat.

MARIAN DENNIS — MEDIANEWS GROUP Sifu Rome’s Hung Gar Kung Fu Academy puts on a Kung Fu demonstration for guests at this year’s Norristown Family Fun Day.

MARIAN DENNIS — MEDIANEWS GROUP Participants made cardboard boats to race in the Schuylkill River Saturday as part of Norristown’s Family Fun Day in Riverfront Park.

MARIAN DENNIS — MEDIANEWS GROUP A participant in the cardboard boat race Saturday is calm, cool and collected as she finishes the race with her boat still in tact.

MARIAN DENNIS — MEDIANEWS GROUP The Norristown Dragon Boat Club is presented with a poster depicting the features of a new plaque that will be placed in Riverfront Park, where the club has called home.

MARIAN DENNIS — MEDIANEWS GROUP A participants paddles her way back after racing in a cardboard boat race on the Schuylkill River.