What is it: After a three-year hiatus, the event that has teams race a 40-foot dragon boat in Sandusky Bay is back.
The event starts at the
Paper District Marina and travels through the bay near the marina. Each boat consists of 20 paddlers, a drummer and one steer person. Each team must include at least 8 women, and the steer person is provided by
GWN Dragon Boat. The minimum age for paddlers is 12 years old and no experience is necessary.
Each team will race three times on event day and have access to all required equipment, including the boat, life jackets, and paddles. There will be a one-hour practice session during the week leading up to the event.
Why is it important: The event, according to Jason Werling, Sandusky Parks and Recreation superintendent, is its location.
“Dragons & Bacon Fest is a unique event that showcases the city’s waterfront accessibility with the backdrop of Cedar Point to the east and the Sandusky Coal Docks to the west,” Werling says. “The Paper District Marina is the perfect venue for an event like this as we can host all of our teams in the amphitheater area of the marina and have easy access for loading and unloading the dragon boats between each round of racing.”
And while we’re at it…why bacon: Besides the fact that – hello, who doesn’t love bacon – Werling says the idea to marry the boating event with the salty breakfast treat came from a collaboration with
Shores & Islands Ohio.
“When Sandusky Rec and
Shores & Islands Ohio came up with the original idea for the Dragon Boat event, we were also looking at adding a bacon festival for Sandusky at the same time,” Werling says. “We decided to marry the two for a unique experience. The name lends itself to people asking us what Dragons & Bacon is all about!”
How to get involved: To participate or volunteer, contact Werling at
[email protected] or 419.515.1089. You can also register a team
online. Registration is open until Sept. 11.