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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883
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Huge dragon boats to haul a crowd on Spokane River

Teams of 20 paddlers are organizing to paddle 46-foot-long Dragon Boats, such as the ones shown above, in races on the Spokane River near Division Street on July 27 as part of the Sister Cities International Conference. (File/Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)
Rich Landers Outdoors editor
Teams of 20 paddlers are organizing to paddle 46-foot-long Dragon Boats, such as the ones shown above, in races on the Spokane River near Division Street on July 27 as part of the Sister Cities International Conference. (File/Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)

If you like to paddle with a crowd, there’s no better place than in a Dragon Boat.

With room for 20 paddlers, a rudder operator and a drummer, a fleet of 46-foot-long Dragon Boats is set to make a splash in the Spokane River in late July.

Registration is open for people 18 and older who want to assemble teams and go dragon head to dragon head in one of the showcase events during the Sister Cities International Conference. Dragon racing is a centuries-old Asian event that’s becoming popular at festivals in the United States and Canada.

It’s a natural for the conference because a large Asian delegation is expected, among the more than 1,000 delegates and visitors, said Jenifer Priest, conference coordinator. Three of Spokane’s Sister Cities are Asian – Jecheon in Korea, Jilin in China and Nishinomiya in Japan.

Team entries are being accepted on a first-come basis. The team entry is $500, in part to defer the cost of bringing the boats, rudder operators and officials from western Washington, Priest said. Each participant from each team will receive a commemorative medal of the inaugural event.

Three Dragon Boats are scheduled to arrive in Spokane on July 23 so teams can practice July 24 at Long (Spokane) Lake.

On July 27, racing will consist of 12 heats, with three boats each, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., just upstream from the Division Street Bridge. Spectators will be able to view the races from both sides of the river.