The 11th annual Children’s Hospital at Erlanger Dragon Boat Festival kicks off this Saturday at the TVA Park at Chickamauga Dam. According to Special Event Organizer Rebecca Styles, “This year’s year festival has been a resounding success with a full field of 30 teams and expectations of raising more than $100,000 for Children’s Hospital.”
The festival site opens at 8 a.m., racing begins at 8:30 a.m. and will finish around 3 p.m. New this year is an expanded concessions area, along with a children’s play area, plus new trophies and honors for the event, including “Most Creative Team Name.” Spectators are encouraged to come out Saturday and watch the 46 foot long Chinese dragon boats, with 20 paddlers, racing to the finish line.
Top fund-raising contenders in the 2017 races are the First Volunteer Bank Personality Paddlers who have raised $17,000 and the CBL Motley Crew who have raised $16,000.
Among the individual paddlers who have raised the most money are Edna Talley, with the First Volunteer Bank Personality Paddlers, who has raised more than $9,000 and Katie Reinsmidt who has raised more than $4,000.
Major sponsors of this year’s event include Coca-Cola Bottling Co., United Health Insurance, Harrah’s Cherokee, First Tennessee Bank, EPB, and Patten and Patten. For more information, call 778-4803.