Walgreens Richmond International Dragon Boat Festival Hits the James on August 1
The James River will be filled with paddling teams racing each other for the prestigious title of Walgreens Richmond International Dragon Boat champions this Saturday, August 1 at Rocketts Landing. Great White North, a company based out of Toronto, Canada, and Sports Backers are joining forces to put on the sixth annual event.
Teams of 20 synchronized paddlers, along with one person steering and one drummer, race 500 meters up the river in 40 foot canoes decorated to look like traditional Chinese dragon boats complete with dragon heads and tails. With registration closed, there will be 34 teams participating, including many from local businesses such as Snagajob, SunTrust, and Mekong. Many companies look forward to the event and use it for team building, or as part of their corporate wellness initiatives. “We are excited for this event, which supports our focus on community engagement and diversity and inclusion,” said Ezra Fortner, captain for Altria’s three teams taking part in the festival. “This event also provides us with the opportunity to collaborate as a team and learn more about each other.”
Additionally, Dragon Boat clubs from up and down the East Coast and mid-Atlantic region travel to Richmond to compete. Jeff Kuhn, the captain for the DC Dragon Boat Club, says that traveling to a tournament “gives the team very important team bonding time off the water,” as well as an opportunity to experience Richmond’s award-winning dining scene while they are here for the festival.
In addition to the races, there will be food, beer, and other merchandise for sale, as well as giveaways and promotions from Walgreens and associated vendors. There is also a full slate of cultural performances from the Organization of Chinese-Americans – Central Virginia Chapter, starting at 11:00am and running throughout the festival. Spectators, and media, are welcome, and street parking is available, as well as event parking. Below is the schedule of events for the day.
Schedule
8:00 a.m. – Team Check In/Captain’s Meeting
8:15 a.m. – Opening Ceremonies
8:45 a.m. – Racing begins
11:00 a.m. – Cultural performances begin
3:00 p.m. – Racing ends
For more information, visit www.sportsbackers.org.
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