Habitat Dragon Boat Festival returns to Coosa River on Aug. 20

Registration is officially open for the ninth Habitat Dragon Boat Festival, sponsored by Gadsden-Etowah Habitat for Humanity.

The event returns to the Coosa River on Aug. 20 at Riverwalk Park, behind Chili’s. The opening ceremony will take place at 8:45 a.m, with races beginning at 9 a.m.

"The goal of the Habitat Dragon Boat Festival is to raise funds to continue the mission of building simple, decent and affordable houses in our community," Steve Scharfenberg, co-chairman of the Gadsden-Etowah Habitat for Humanity, said. "We want to raise awareness of the Habitat ministry, to inform families of the eligibility requirements and to attract more volunteers while having a great time on the water.”

Pan Am Dragon Boat Association LLC of Tampa, Florida, will be assisting with the event. It will provide the staff, boats and equipment for the festival, plus one hour of practice with a coach during the week prior to the event.

Several awards will be given out during the festival for topics such as best team tent, best team spirit, best team T-shirt and best drummer costume.

"The drummer leads the paddlers throughout the race using the rhythmic drum beat to indicate the timing and synchronization of all the paddlers’ strokes," Habitat for Humanity explained in a news release. "The drummer is an important part of the dragon boat team. Not only are the drummers the most decorative part of the team, the drummer is considered the 'heartbeat' of the dragon boat."

Dragon boat racing has origins dating back 2,300 years and is considered the eighth fastest growing sport in the world. Teams of 20 paddlers, the drummer and the steerer will race in 46-foot-long Chinese dragon boats adorned with colorful dragon heads and tails. Teams will be navigating their boats at speeds of 10 to 15 miles per hour as they compete for the first place prize.

“People love it — the thrill, the teamwork, the adrenaline, the interaction in the boat — everything,” said Suzanne Scharfenberg, another co-chair , “People who never thought of themselves as athletes can thrive in a dragon boat."

Admission for the event is free to the public and attendees can choose to participate in other activities such as face painting, the drummer’s parade and, after the races are completed, mini-dragon boat rides.

Guests also are encouraged to grab lunch and a snow cone from the vendors who will be present at the event.

For more information on the event and how to volunteer, visit www.habitatdragonboat.com, email info@gadsdenhabitat.com or call 256-543-1898.

This article originally appeared on The Gadsden Times: Habitat Dragon Boat Festival returns to Coosa River this August