The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Lorain to host Cleveland Dragon Boat Festival
The Cleveland Dragon Boat Festival is moving west for the 2021 event.
On Sept. 18, Lorain will host the first Cleveland Dragon Boat Festival since 2018.
At least nine teams are expected to paddle multiple heats, a final race and a 2K race after the opening “Awakening of the Dragon” ceremony at 8:30 a.m., said Julia Chen, president of the Cleveland Dragon Boat Association.
The Dragon Boat Association had its annual race in Lorain in 2018.
There was no event scheduled for 2019, so people were looking forward to the 2020 races, but those were canceled due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, Chen said.
“When we had to cancel last year, I cannot tell you how many people were heartbroken,” she said.
Dragon boat racing involves boats about 40 feet long with crews of 20 paddlers, a steer person and drummer for pacing.
The paddlers must use timing, precision and speed to propel the vessels, Chen said.
The Cleveland Dragon Boat Association has boats stored at Merwin’s Wharf on the Cuyahoga River.
Those and the practice paddles are heavier than the race boats being brought in by Dynamic Dragon Boat Racing LLC, scheduled to arrive in Lorain the evening of Sept. 16.
The races will start at 9 a.m. and are expected to last well into the afternoon, possibly as late as 4 p.m., with an award ceremony afterward.
The races do not offer open berths the day of the race, but Cleveland Dragon Boaters will share information about getting involved in northern Ohio.
The Dragon Boat Association has learn-to-paddle sessions at 11 a.m., Sundays, during the summer.
On Sept. 18, spectators are welcome at Black River Landing, the waterfront festival site of the Lorain Port and Financing Authority.
There are online and social media posts that say the races will stage at Riverside Park, but the main location was changed this week to Black River Landing, Chen said.
The Port board and staff are happy for the return of the festival, said Port Executive Director Tom Brown.
“A great group and a really unique event here on the Black River,” Brown said. “I hope everyone has some time to check out the races and see what it’s all about.”
Along with the boat races, there will be a food truck and Kona Ice frozen treats, hula dancers, Japanese drummers and a DJ.
“We just want everybody to come and have fun,” Chen said.
There will be a rose ceremony with blooms, donated by Flowerama, that will be presented to cancer survivors.
They will set the roses to float away on the Black River.
Dragon boating first became associated with breast cancer survivors when a Canadian doctor began studying the effects of repetitive upper body exercises on women who recovering from the disease.
Instead of canoes, he selected dragon boating for the vessels’ stability on the water and found the exercise benefited the cancer survivors, according to the official history posted at the Cleveland Dragon Boat Association’s website.