Down By the River

Half a continent apart, my son and I both spent a day by the water. For me, it was the Red River, where people were paddling for a purpose at the dragon boat races.

The Dragon Boat Festival is a major event presented to the community by The Rotary Club of Shreveport. As a good Rotarian, I do what I can to participate. And since my abilities are so limited, I volunteer to do something I know how to do: talk. Standing around all day making announcements and calling races...that's pretty easy.

It was a family affair, because my ever-the-good-sport wife worked a shift at the registration tent. It was fun, except when one disgruntled paddler, a loud-mouth with crooked teeth and whole lot of tattoos, angrily confronted me for making what he considered to be a misleading announcement. The trouble was, I hadn't done it. I still don't know what happened or what he thinks he heard, but the encounter was unpleasant. I can make my own mistakes; I certainly don't need anyone accusing me of something I didn't do. It didn't ruin my day, but it put a blemish on things.

I bring this up not to diminish the dragon boat festival (with that lone exception, it really was a fun day), but merely to magnify the contrasting waterside experiences in play here. From the banks of the Red River being yelled at by a roid-raged, orthodontically challenged tat freak to the sandy shores of Southern California, where my son was spotted cavorting with his buddies.

Is there anything more to say? I mean, that photo looks like an ad for clothing store in the mall or something. They appear to be very relaxed. I think he won the day.

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A Dragon's Breath is Hot!

A sizzling Saturday spent on the banks of the Red River has left me roasted. There were dragon boats on the water and I was tasked with announcer duties.
Dragon boats?

Yes, dragon boats originated in China, we are told, more than 2000 years ago. Now, racing events dot the globe. The Rotary Club of Shreveport, of which I am shockingly a member, has been organizing a riverfront festival with the races at its centerpiece.



The goal is to raise money for local underperforming schools, and last year the club donated $20,000.00. We certainly hope that number gets bigger year by year.
The event has yet to capture the widespread imagination of the public. It’s somewhat esoteric, I admit. It’s colorful and fun, though. The participants, many of whom travel from significant distances, really get into the competition.



It requires organization and teamwork. Practice helps, too. But not everybody has a Chinese longboat hanging around the bayou, so they do the best with what they have.
The course on the Red River was 250 yards, a straight sprint between two bridges.



The local fire department boarded a spirited team on a boat and they paddled their way through several heats to claim the grand prize. Their goal was to cover the distance in less than a minute. They got really close, but missed it by a fraction of a second. That gives them something to strive for when the festival floats around again next fall.
The organization of this event requires a dedicated team of volunteers working across the calendar to make it work. There were a lot of stressed and sweaty people running around the river bank just making sure things ran smoothly.



I think they did; although your announcer and his hosting partner made a fundamental error sometime during the hottest part of the afternoon. We left our microphones on as we carried on a casual conversation. The entire festival site heard what we had to say. Fortunately, we were talking about how well things were going and about how people seemed to be enjoying themselves; a happy happenstance as it turned out.



The only problem with being the event announcer is it keeps you from getting into a boat. It also keeps you away from air conditioning and an afternoon of college football, but that’s okay.

It really was worth doing. I felt like a dragon breathed fire on my legs and the back of my neck, though. Next year, I’ll crank the SPF on my sunscreen up a few notches.

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