Saturday we went to our town's first dragon boat festival. I had never heard of dragon boat races until I saw the event being advertised and thought it sounded pretty cool.
Local businesses form a team of 20 - plus 1 person to beat a drum rhythmically at the front to sync to rowing.
And then they compete against each other in these beautiful long boats - just a few at a time and then they move on to the next round and then finals and then...
Well... I don't know. We only saw the end of one race and the next one wasn't for another hour.
It was hot as eff out there and we didn't plan to stick around an hour more.
The event wasn't really my ideal festival (are they ever?). There were some bounce houses, and just a couple food vendors and a few others selling crafts but there was no live music or anything like that. It felt like the event was really more for the people participating in the actual races.
Each team had their own tent and chairs and barbecue pits and food so it was kind of hard to tell who was an actual vendor and who was just chillin' with their teammates.
The turnout for participants was massive though! I wouldn't think that this kind of event would stand a chance in Texarkana because it's so new to us - but with it being fun and sporty - it was perfect for this town.
I forgot to charge my camera's battery before we left so these are pretty much all the pics I managed to get. We didn't have a blast of a time or anything like that but it was a nice family outing. Since the event was by a lake and in a well maintained public park, the scenery was pleasant enough to make it worth the stay.
ON A VERY SERIOUS NOTE:
As many of you have probably already heard, one of the worst mass shootings in US history happened last night at a gay nightclub in Orlando, FL.
50 people were killed and over 50 were injured.
It was an Islamic terrorist attack conducted by one man.
He gave warning of his attack three days in advance but no one listened.
I've heard claims that a man in California was stopped by police and was found to be carrying large amounts of ammo and pipe bombs. He possibly could have been headed to a gay pride parade.
I'm terrified there might be other attacks planned as this is Gay Pride Month.
Please keep our nation in your thoughts and prayers.
I've never heard of a dragon boat. Interesting! Your guys seem to be having fun but little Cedar seems a bit "meh" about things.
ReplyDeleteI was near tears all day yesterday. I had to turn off the news channel that the boyfriend was watching. It's devastating.
I think dragon boat racing originates in Kerala in South India, it's a huge event there in August and thousands of people turn up to see them. The boats are bastard massive!
ReplyDeleteAwful news. Beyond belief. What is it with the Americans and guns? Why can't they just ban them and be done with it. Evil gun lobby. xxx
outdoor events down south tin the summer are not my cup to tea......to effing hot and humid.
ReplyDeleteThis morning I heard a former Senator from FLA say we should by willing to give up some rights to stay safe. Bet he wasn't talking about the 2nd one.
With everything going on in the States, it's really heart-breaking and terrifying to see the news:'( My thoughts and prayers to all the families of the victims...
ReplyDeleteOn a lighter note, my husband used to dragon boat. He had to give it up though coz the training was pretty intense and time-consuming. Glad to see you got to go see a race. It's fun:)
Right on. The best thing that we can do in the face of such tragedy is to continue to live our lives and be seen, rather than live in fear. It warms my heart to see so many people coming together publicly to show support and to let the world know that this tragedy will not change who we are deep down as a nation. <3
ReplyDelete- Anna
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