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By Jenna Zaza

From sunrise to sundown last Saturday, Sept. 14, the air echoed with the rhythmic beat of drums, punctuated with bursts of cheers and shouts when they hit their last thump. Three aquatic dragon boats raced across the water, while vibrant red and yellow foam dragons soared among the scattered greenery of Port Jefferson’s Harborfront Park. 

The typically tranquil village is transformed into a lively scene straight from a dragon fantasy novel as The Greater Port Jefferson Chamber of Commerce hosted its 10th annual Dragon Boat Race Festival.

The festival brought together 20 teams made up of 20 paddlers, a steersman and a drummer, to compete in three racing heats that included two qualifying rounds and a championship round. The three-lane course ran 250 meters or approximately 820 feet. 

Aside from the main attraction, there were all-day cultural performances and contests, local food trucks, vendors and family-friendly activities, creating a vibrant atmosphere for all attendees.

“It’s great to take advantage of our harbor to bring people together,” said Barbara Ransome, chamber director of operations. “It’s wonderful to celebrate our community’s culture and our differences. There’s nothing like it.”

Aside from the main attraction, there were all-day performances from the many talented organizations like the Long Island Chinese Dance Group and Taiko Tides Japanese percussion.

From the two qualifying heats, the top 12 with the lowest times made it to the championship round, which included four divisions. The teams that won gold were JPMorgan Chase’s Azure Dragons in Division I, Port Jefferson’s Rowing Club in Division II, Gregory Weyerhaeuser Piasecki Family in Division III and St. Charles Hospital’s Keeping the Faith in Division IV. 

For the GWP Family, this race wasn’t just to get into the competitive spirit but to remember their uncle and cousin Piasecki who recently passed away. 

The event continues to grow in popularity each year, drawing not only Long Island local teams but also participants from the greater New York area, according to Ransome. 

For other teams, the waves and competition wasn’t the only challenging part of the races. “While it was physically exhausting, it was also [hard] controlling the emotions,” said Larry Ryan, one of the rowers for the Port Jefferson Dragons. “We’ve been together on the same team for nine years and we [raced initially] for the comradery, but now we do it in memory and to honor two people that are no longer with us.”

Even though the Dragon Boat Race Festival is significantly important in Chinese culture since it celebrates the life of patriotic Warring States Prime Minister and poet Qu Yuan, it is a festival all cultures can enjoy. Strolling through the park, attendees could hear a melody of the various different languages spoken around them like English, Chinese, Korean, Hindi and even the barks from the four-legged and flurry visitors. 

“The amount of people and the enjoyment [the festival] brings, it’s always a good day,” said Denise Yazak, a science communicator at the Brookhaven National Lab and the team’s drummer. “I always meet new people and the sense of community here is really exciting.” 

One of the highlights of the day was the mesmerizing lion dance performance by Authentic Shaolin Kung Fu, which captivated both children and adults alike. As the brightly colored lions danced their way through the crowd, their playful antics brought bursts of laughter and shrieks of delight from the younger audience members.

The lion dance is a traditional Chinese dance believed to bring good fortune and chase away evil spirits. 

“The dance we did today is similar to what we do on Chinese New Year,” said Chris Quintero, an advanced student who has been training for about eight years. “A big part of [training] is being authentic to the culture and trying our absolute best in paying respect and being accurate to the culture.” 

Jenna Zaza is a reporter with The SBU Media Group, part of Stony Brook University’s School of Communication and Journalism’s Working Newsroom.