Friday, 9/12/14

• The American Dragon Boat Association arrives with FOUR dragon boats this year! Watch for these 40’ long boats on trailers as they roll into town Friday evening!

Saturday, 9/13/14

• The dragon boats will be launched bright and early from Sweeney’s Landing, and will be paddled past the City Market to East Adado Park docks, where they will stay until Sunday post-race. Shop early at the Market, and wave as the dragons go by!
• Team practice: Each team will be assigned a 1 hour training session for Saturday. Please arrive early enough to include parking (LCC ramp or parking meters.) Training will begin promptly, in order to keep the training schedule. Teams will have land-based training, as well as on the water training. This is when the fun begins!
• Team Captains: This is also when you bring your decorated Team Theme collection jug (a clean 1 gallon plastic milk jug, decorated to match your team’s theme) and an extra team t-shirt. These will be displayed throughout the race, as an opportunity to have people vote for your team with money, in the Team Theme competition. All funds raised are targeted towards women’s cancer support activities at the Women’s Center of Greater Lansing. Yes, you can start collecting money early! And shameless encourage the spectators to vote for your team! Voting will be influenced by your team t-shirt, your campsite and even a team cheer. This is a great opportunity to show your creativity!
• While there is overnight Security in the Park this weekend, we suggest that you limit setting up your campsite to just your 10’x10’ awning – due to City restrictions, nothing larger is allowed. You don’t have to bring an awning – there are lots of trees in our beautiful park.
• Just a heads-up on Saturday: There will be a Walk taking place on the Rivertrail – please don’t interfere with their event.
• There will be a food truck under the Shiawassee St. bridge from 10a-5p – please consider supporting their efforts!
• Team captains, you will receive communication from the Women’s Center of Greater Lansing regarding your assigned training time. Phone: (517) 372-9163

Sunday, 9/14/14

• 7:00am: Teams begin arriving to set-up their ‘campsites’ in Athletes Village, located in East Adado Park. You cannot drive vehicles into the park, so please coordinate with your team to bring in your chairs, coolers, personal lifejackets, etc. You may bring in a 10’x10’ awning, but nothing larger. As per our permit with the City and our insurance policy, this event is alcohol-free, and no grills, candles, etc. may be brought into the park. There will not be electricity available in the Athletes Village. No animals are allowed in the campsites, but service animals are of course welcome.
• Parking: The LCC Parking Ramp will be open at no charge on Saturday and Sunday; meters are free on weekends; do NOT park at the City Market (that is only for Market patrons, please); and because of events in the Lansing Center, City of Lansing Parking will most likely be charging to park in the lots around the Lansing Center. The LCC ramp and street parking are your best bets.
• Move-in: Here’s what we CAN do for you – load all of your gear into one vehicle, and Happy’s Pizza has graciously allowed the use of their parking lot for early morning, Sunday unloading ONLY. You won’t have to carry your gear so far, but you do need to move your vehicle as soon as you’ve unloaded. And Go Green Trikes will be in the park helping to transport your gear as well – a nice donation to the race! (Which is not to say that you can’t tip your driver.) Happy’s Pizza is at Saginaw and N. Cedar, facing East Adado Park.
• 7:00a: Registration will be open for any questions. This is located in Vendor Village, the large open grassy area just north of the Shiawassee St. Bridge in East Adado Park. This is also where Bike Valet Parking can be found, and your Team Theme jugs will be displayed there, too. And Tim Horton’s is generously supporting your coffee habit!
• 7:30a-7:45a: Teams begin gathering in East Adado to do Tai Chi warm-ups together, then gather on the river bank around the docks, where we will do the traditional Awakening the Dragons ceremony. New this year: a Pink Carnation Remembrance Ceremony, honoring those who have lost their battle with cancer, those who continue the fight, and those who have won their battle.
• 8:30a – Racing begins. We will continue racing all day, working thru the division brackets. By having four boats this year, Sunday should move more quickly than in previous races, but we also have double the teams.
• 9:00a – the Vendor Village exhibits and Panda Playland kids’ activities will open in East Adado Park, continuing throughout the day, including performances provided by various Confucius Institutes here in Michigan. It’s their 10-year anniversary in Michigan, and they are using CCDBR as their big public celebration, bringing Chinese culture from the four CIs here in Michigan – MSU, U of M, Wayne State, and Western Michigan. These activities are geared towards the teams, as well as the public, with free family fun activities.
• Public viewing will take place both in East and West Adado Park, along the riverbanks.
• Sunday there will be TWO food trucks for your convenience, under the Shiawassee St. Bridge! Please support their efforts to come down and serve you!
• Racing ends – hey, it’s a competition = it’s done when it’s done . . . but plan on being with us all day.
• Post-Race – Immediately following the last race, we will do the Awards Ceremony in the Vendor Village, East Adado Park.
• Once the Awards Ceremony is over, please pack up your campsite and take everything with you . . . and please help out the volunteers by making good use of the trash and recycling receptacles.

THANK YOU for participating in the 2014 Capital City Dragon Boat Race, benefitting the Women’s Center of Greater Lansing. Have Fun! Do Good!

. . . . and Paddles Up!