Dragon-boat racing has been around for centuries, and it’s back for a third year for one organization in central Arkansas, while the Junior Auxiliary of Conway is trying the sport as a new fundraiser.
The Children’s Protection Center of Little Rock has successfully held the BKD CPAs & Advisors River Cities Dragon Boat Festival the past two years, said Jennifer Long, the center’s executive director.
The third annual event, scheduled for 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, has been moved to Lake Willastein Park in Maumelle.
“It’s beautiful, and Maumelle Parks and Recreation has been great to deal with,” Long said. “They are just ‘yes’ people, and ‘we’re going to figure this out’ people. It’s a hard event to organize and put on, so that meant a lot.”
The center previously held the dragon-boat races on Victory Lake in Burns Park.
“We needed a larger area; we needed a better parking situation,” Long said. Lake Willastein fit the bill in many ways, she said. “It’s perfect — it’s flat. There’s no chance the river is going to overflow and we’re going to have to cancel.”
She said at least 37 teams have signed up to race. In dragon-boat racing, 20 people — 10 rows of two — sit in a 45-foot-long boat and have paddles. A drummer sits at the front, getting the beat going.
It’s fast and furious — races are over in about 1 1/2 minutes, Long said. Two boats will race at a time, and the fastest teams keep advancing.
“We have overall prizes; we even have the golden anchor for the slowest team,” she said, as well as division winners. Divisions include entertainment, churches, schools, hospitals, businesses and community teams, “just groups of friends who get together to do this.”
Long said prizes are given for the best team T-shirts, the best-dressed drummer and more.
The races are buoyed by other activities.
“It’s a festival, and it’s completely free for anybody to come and watch,” Long said. “We tailgate while the races are going. People can bring chairs and blankets and watch.”
Practice starts about noon Friday at Lake Willastein and will “really ramp up about 4 o’clock,” Long said. “Friday night is a big party and fireworks show,” she said. A food-truck village will be set up Friday and Saturday.
On Saturday, free children’s activities will include face painting, balloon animals “and all kinds of crafts,” Long said.
She said the races go on “rain or shine,” although they will be halted in case of lightning.
Long said 25 teams participated the first year and raised $60,900; 35 teams raced the second year and raised $100,000.
“What’s really good for us [is that] we raise pledges,” she said. Each paddler is asked to raise $100, which usually means asking 10 friends for $10 each. That’s a competition, too.
“It’s amazing,” she said. Of the $100,000 raised last year, the paddlers provided $44,000, she said.
The paddlers talk up the festival while seeking donations, Long said.
“We get a chance to get the word out about [the Children’s Protection Center]. We are a collaboration, a place where all the folks who work on child-abuse cases can collaborate,” she said.
Children are interviewed at the center, and several advocacy services, including legal and mental-health services, are available for families.
“The child needs a safe, secure family to heal,” she said.
“Our goal this year is to raise $115,000,” she said. BKD CPAs & Advisors in Little Rock has been the sponsor all three years; Nephropath has sponsored for two years, she said.
Karen Fulmer, a member of the Junior Auxiliary of Conway, said members of the organization hope to find that kind of success in their inaugural dragon-boat festival, which is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. May 30 at Beaverfork Lake in Conway.
She said the kid-friendly event will kick off with remarks from Conway’s mayor or a mayoral candidate. The Conway High School ROTC will present the flags, the national anthem will be sung, and Cheer Force teams will perform. Sharpe Dunaway will be the master of ceremonies for the event. A costume contest will be held for the boat’s drummers, and races will start about 9:30 a.m.
Teams — or individual paddlers — are needed, Fulmer said. The boats and equipment are provided.
Seven teams are officially registered; at least four others are considering it, she said. The 20-person teams must have a minimum of eight women. The fastest team will get a golden paddle.
“Everybody’s going to race three times. We’ll take the average time of the first two rounds and put them in a division for the final heat to determine who the fastest team is,” she said.
As with the Maumelle race, the event will have a festival atmosphere.
“This is supposed to be fun and exciting, and we want people to dress up in costume,” she said. Barbecue will be available, and a kids’ area will including a treasure hunt, a bounce house and face painting.
Fulmer, who is the event and sponsorship coordinator, said that because the event is new to Conway, people understandably have lots of questions about it.
“People are hesitant to register because they want to form the whole team before [registering],” she said. “We are trying to emphasize, you can go ahead and register and say you have 10 people on the team. We have individual registrants who come out. When it gets to the day — they put them in boats that need to be filled,” she said. “Yes, you can sign up; you don’t have to have full teams. You can register the day of the race, but if it’s a large team, preferably beforehand.”
She said individuals can register for $47. “Ask five people for $10, and there’s your entry,” she said. Team registration is $850. To register or for more information, go to www.conwaydragonboat.com.
“I know it’s intimidating to find 19 other people to do it with you, but we’re saying, ‘No, no, don’t let that discourage you. We want you out there; we’re going to help you.’”
She said others are “in the same boat” — no pun intended.
Fulmer said the organization needs money to make “a bigger impact on the community.”
Junior Auxiliary of Conway projects include Safety Town, a weeklong safety-awareness program for children entering kindergarten; HAVEN Helpers, supporting Help for Abuse Victims in Emergency Need — HAVEN House; a dance and Thanksgiving dinner for Independent Living Services, providing Christmas for Kids, working through Community Action Program for Central Arkansas; and monthly birthday celebrations at the Women’s Shelter of Central Arkansas.
“We get something off their wish list and do cake and ice cream — something so they feel celebrated, and they’re not forgotten,” Fulmer said.
“A lot of these expenses are out of pocket for members. It’s moving to me to see that this is out of the goodness of their hearts, but I want the community to know that, too,” she said.
The focus of the Junior Auxiliary of Conway has been on community service instead of fundraising, Fulmer said. Funding primarily comes from the Frozen Feet 5K and the sale of cookbooks, as well as a portion of the proceeds from the Kiwanis booth at Toad Suck Daze.
Fulmer said JA member Jessica Clawson researched ideas and found dragon-boat racing, which is an international sport and a growing trend for fundraising. “You do it together as a team, and it creates unity,” Fulmer said.
She said it’s also a fun way to raise money, and that the Conway Dragon Boat Festival could become a tradition.
“We’ve gotten a lot of local sponsorships; we’ve got lots of local support. We need people on boats,” Fulmer said. “We need people out there who just want to see what this is like. Come cheer on the dragon boats.”
Senior writer Tammy Keith can be reached at (501) 327-0370 or tkeith@arkansasonline.com.