DRAGON BOATS--YOU GOTTA SEE THEM!

Rose Festival Dragon Boat Information Here:


Since The Fulton House is just one block away from the Willamette River, over the next two months our guests will be walking down to Willamette Park along the River to see the Dragon Boats practicing or actually racing. It's exciting and colorful and has been going on for 20 years, as part of the City's internationally renowned annual Rose Festival.

There are 8 40-foot intricately painted dragon boats, on loan from the Portland-Kaohsiung Sister City Association, which owns the boats and sponsors the races. As part of the opening 2,000 year-old Chinese ceremony, Portland Mayor Tom Potter brushed bright red cinnabar paint on the dragons' eyes, freeing them from the blindness of winter.

The Dragon Boats were also officially blessed in a ceremony by more than a dozen Buddist monks and nuns from Portland, Seattle and Los Angeles. Now, the Dragon Boats were officially awake and ready to be shoved into the Willamette so the 96 teams of rowers, 2,000 in all, from across the U.S. and Canada could begin practice.
Each team consists of 12 rowers, a tiller and a caller.

The teams are divided into 3 race divisions -- high schools, women, and mixed adults. There are 12 high school teams, 24 women's teams, and 60 mixed adult teams. Additionally, there are 2 Special Event races scheduled - the International Friendship Race for high school girls, including a team from Shu-Te High School in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, Republic of China, and the Gorman Cup Race for teams of breast cancer patients.

These races are taken very seriously by the teams. Each team gets 3 one-hour weekly practice sessions from now to the actual competition, which will take place on the Willamette River on June 7 and 8. Log on to www.pksca.com to learn more about the races and about the Sister City association.

Tourists come from all over the country to watch the practices and the races, so make your reservations at The Fulton House early. We're only a block from the Willamette River and within walking distance (about 2 miles) from the stretch of river where the actual races will take place. To avoid the expense and hassles of parking, there are also city buses that stop a half-block away that take you downtown, located in southwest Portland, where The Fulton House is also located.

See you soon!