The Southern Maryland Community Resources (SMCR) is excited to announce the 5th Annual Solomons Island Dragon Boat Festival, presented by Cedar Point Federal Credit Union on Saturday, August 21, 2021 on the Patuxent River along the Solomons Island Riverwalk.
The Solomons Dragon Boat Festival is a fun filled event of friendly competition and team building while raising funds for much needed programs for SMCR, Inc. Race day is packed with teams of all sorts from Southern Maryland and beyond. A variety of entertainment, food trucks, artisan vendors and kid-friendly activities will round out the event. This free day of fun begins with the Dragon Boat Races on the Patuxent River and includes three areas in-keeping with ancient tradition: Team Village, Vendor Village & Dragon’s Nest Children’s area. Visit www.SolomonsDragonBoatFestival.com for details.
Dragon Boat Racing has become one of the fastest growing team water sports events! Dragon Boat Teams consist of 16 paddlers, a drummer and a trained steer person. We partner with 22Dragons to provide the boats and instructors, and they visit us each year all the way from Montreal. Teams can be local businesses or special interest groups looking for some fun and to help raise funds for an excellent cause. This year, we are excited to have team fundraiser pages on our website to assist teams in raising funds for the cause.
Spectators are welcome! Race Day is 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. Saturday, August 21. Practice sessions occur from 5-7 p.m. throughout the week leading up to the races and are open to the public to view from the Solomons Riverwalk. We also host a Dotting of the Eye Ceremony on Friday, August 20 at 6 p.m. outside Our Lady Star of the Sea on Solomons Island, during which the public can help paint the dragons’ eyes to awake the sleeping beasts!
Our Cause: SMCR Inc. creates opportunities for people with disabilities, providing social, recreational, and educational programs for the entire community, with an emphasis on accessibility for those with developmental differences. For more about SMCR, Inc. and the work we do, check our website at www.somdcr.org.
For more details on becoming a sponsor or floating a team for the Solomons Island Dragon Boat Festival, visit our website at SolomonsDragonBoatFestival.com or reach out to us at [email protected].
Join the cause. Live the adventure. Float your boat. Become part of the most exciting event coming to Solomons in 2021. As they say in the Dragon Boating community, “Paddles Up!”
All proceeds from this event will support SMCR, Inc. a nonprofit 501(c )(3) organization, with the mission of “Creating opportunities for people with disabilities in Southern Maryland.“
What is Dragon Boating?
The roots of dragon boat racing go back over 2,000 years to the southern provinces of China
Legend has it that Qu Yuan, a scholar and advisor to the emperor of the Chu Kingdom, jumped into the Mei Lo (Mi Luo) River in despair and protest against government corruption. Local fishermen raced out in their boats to save him, beating drums and pounding paddles on the river’s waters. They threw rice dumplings wrapped in silk into the river to distract the water dragons and keep them from devouring Qu Yuan’s body.
Out of the re-enactment of this legend at annual festivals, dragon boating evolved into the sport we know and celebrate today in Solomons, Maryland and around the world.
