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The dragon boats have arrived in Lake Lure and are waiting for you to breathe life into them at the “LURE OF THE DRAGONS” – Dragon Boat Race & Cultural Festival May 10, 2008 at Morse Park, next to the Lake Lure Town Hall. There’s room for a few more teams and individual paddlers. Call 828-980-8838 for information on how to get in on this fun event. From ages 15 to 85, if you are in reasonable shape, you can do this.
Asheville.com is proud to be a sponsor of "Lure of the Dragons". Team registration is still open online at www.lureofthedragons.org. Teams can come from churches, neighborhoods, friends, civic organizations, municipalities, fire, police and emergency responders, schools, hospitals, businesses, clubs, etc. Teams pay a registration fee and then team members are encouraged to secure pledges from family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, businesses, anyone. Event organizers will help you. All donations are tax deductible. Visit the event website for all details and a printable team registration form. Only 28 teams can participate in the race. Try this 2300-year-old sport. Anyone can do it. It’s fun and it’s for a worthy cause—our area children. Each team will get two one-hour on-the-water practice sessions with a coach during the week before the race. Race Director, Doug Long, having been to two dragon boat race festivals, says, “This is an amazing sport—easy to learn how to paddle, available to all ages, a community spirit builder, great team enthusiasm, and a powerful fundraiser for community benefit. It’s no wonder, with over 70 festivals in the USA, it is the fastest growing team sport in America. People get hooked on dragon boating and want to come back every year. We are expecting 300 paddlers and 900 spectators this year. And, we expect to double those numbers over the next two years. “In the beginning, you have 10 people paddling with 10 different strokes, one drummer, and lots of laughing,” Long says. “After a couple practice sessions, you have gone from 11 people in a boat to a well synchronized TEAM.” OR, if paddling is not your thing, come as a spectator and enjoy the excitement of the races, as well as the Cultural Festival, featuring Lion Dancing, Sword Dancing, Kung Fu, Tai Chi, Karate. And, representing our hometown American Southern culture, we expect to have square dancing, clogging, a gospel quartet, a folk singer, and a bluegrass band. Hungry? Enjoy award-winning southern BBQ, Chinese specialties, and good ‘ole American hamburgers and hot dogs and ice cream. And for the kids, there’s the huge inflatable playground, Marcie the Balloon Fairy, and games by Kidsenses Interactive Museum staff. What a great family day for Mother’s Day weekend! This new annual charity sports event is a fund-raiser for five local and regional non-profit programs that improve the quality of life for our children. They are: Camp Lurecrest, Kidsenses Interactive Children’s Museum, Lake Lure Youth Center, Shepherd’s Care and The Strength of HIS Hands Ministry. Presenting Sponsors, Camp Lurecrest, Pinnacle Sotheby’s Realty, Int’l., Hickory Nut Gorge Chamber of Commerce, and Timken Company invite you to join in on the fun as a volunteer, a business/corporate event sponsor (many levels), or form/join a team. Let’s raise money to improve the lives of our kids. Please direct questions to Race Director Doug Long at 980-8838, or email to Long6795@bellsouth.net. Don’t miss out on this unique and fun event. RIDE THE DRAGON WAVE!! (Images provided by Lake Lure Dragon Boat Race.)
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