The Dragons Are Coming! The Dragons Are Coming!
~By Norm Robins~
This Saturday, August 15, 2019, the dragon boats will race, 20 of them in all, in Reno’s and Sparks’ third annual Dragon Boat Festival. They will race 4 boats at a time beginning at 8:30 AM at the Sparks Marina. The last race is set for 2:30 PM.
The boats are fiberglass ones 40 feet long with a crew of 20 paddlers (They don’t row. They paddle.), a steersperson, and a drummer who tells the paddlers the pace. The paddlers face forward. They can see where they are going. The drummer, trusting person that he or she is, faces backward. They race 500 meters (roughly 1640 feet or 0.3 miles) across the Sparks Marina, 300 Howard Drive. The paddlers are all local people who race to win well-deserved bragging rights.
This is a perfect event for the family. It is outdoors. It is free. There are food vendors, refreshment vendors, artisans, port-a-potties, entertainment, and a Health and Wellness Village. It promises to be a lot of fun. Bring the kids.
