Dragonboat Festival 2009

     Today was the day of the Dragonboat Festival, the annual event that takes place just down the road at Clarks Bridge Park here in Hall County.  Each year, hundreds of people head to the Olympic Rowing Venue to watch and even participate in the dragonboat races to see which team can cross the finish line first.

     The weather was warm, and we used our umbrellas to block out the sun.  Without those umbrellas, I'm not sure if we could have made it through the entire event - the sun was punishing! 

     It is a festival, so there were plenty of tents set up here and there to sell food, t-shirts and prizes.  Daddy got himself a Dragonboat Festival 2009 t-shirt, and got Madison a kite and visor from the event as well.  There were a lot of people there, so many more than last year.  Parking was difficult, but there was a lot of excitement in the air.  Musicians played drums, everyone wore Dragonboat t-shirts and there was a wonderful variety of food there.  Zena had packed us all a picnic lunch to have right there in the stands, which we gobbled up as we watched the rowers race across the lake.

     The races were fun to watch, as usual, but Madison really enjoyed the entertainment planned at the halfway break.  Dancers dressed in ornate costumes performed, fireworks went off, and of course there was a lion dance that was a complete delight (until the bright green lion started getting really close - that was a little scary!).  Madison herself started to dance when she saw others doing their routines - it was so cute watching her join in from a safe distance!

     It was a special occasion, made even more special with the appearance of Aunt Shain, and Madison's three cousins, Hannah, Jonathan and David.  Madison had a huge smile when she saw them arrive just in time to see the racers start again for the finals.

     Here's the neat part:  David was asked to be a drummer on one of the dragonboats.  That's right - he went out there on the lake and beat the drum, driving the rhythm of the oars of the rowers in one of the final races.  And...his boat won!  How cool is that?  I was kind of jealous - but perhaps next year, I'll join up with a Friends with Children from China team to row a boat competitively.  There'll be some training sessions, but this festival is not all about winning or losing.  It's all about the fun.  And today was certain a lot of fun.