Over the last three years, a unique summer festival has emerged in Hamilton that has been able to introduce people to the fun of water sports as well as help citizens to face the popular fear of the Great Miami River.
The Dragon Boat Festival is the Great Miami Rowing Center’s premier fundraiser that was started in order to showcase the club and to attract more people to the river. The fundraiser raises money for the rowing club in order to benefit competitive youth teams as well as to fund rowing programs for athletes with disabilities.
The festival originally began in China as a way to honor Qu Yuan, a beloved poet who drowned himself in the river during the Warring States period of ancient China. Eventually the festival made its way to the United States where it is held annually in cities all over the country.
The main event of the festival is the boat racing, which takes place all day on the Great Miami. Anyone can make a team if they are interested in participating. The boats consist of either a half-team of twelve or a full-team of twenty-five, including a steer, who is provided by Dynamic Dragon Boat Racing LLC, and a drummer. Since the first year, the festival has gained popularity and now has nine boats altogether.
Two boats race each other at a time and each boat is guaranteed to race three times. The bracket is randomized and each boat is placed in a different division based on who wins the beginning race. Last year the winners were given a small glass trophy but the Festival Chair and Program Coordinator, Caroline Meiner, said they hope this year that they will be able to give finisher medals to every participant on the winning team.
“Rowing as a sport is pretty intimidating and people usually think that they need a lot of training in order to do it,” said Caroline. “But with the dragon boats, you can learn it in fifteen minutes and people always have an exciting and unforgettable time.”
Besides the racing, the Dragon Boat Festival also has a Vendor Village that includes outdoorsy groups, clubs, or any organizations that will help educate attendees. They are also in the process of recruiting Asian food trucks for the event as well.
The Great Miami Rowing Center’s main goal for the festival is to promote a positive interaction with the river and to show people that there is nothing to fear.
“We have a very unique and reactive river,” said head coach, Kyle Stanley. “The way to deal with the river is through education, knowledge and research. We don’t ever have issues because we educate ourselves before going on the water. The festival is the most effective way to teach people that.” The Great Miami Rowing Center hopes that as the festival continues to grow, they can instruct more people on how to interact with the river safely and to show that water sports and boating can be a positive experience, as long as you are knowledgeable and responsible.