Atlanta's thrilling Dragon Boat Festival is scheduled for September 10 at the Lake Lanier Canoe and Kayak Olympic Venue. Besides the culture and food  - people come for the dragon boat races.

Another group of teams will be made up of cancer survivors. The sport has a unique connection to survivors of breast cancer – people who have had their lymph nodes removed have been told for years not to engage in repetitive motion, lest they develop lymphedema. In 1996, British Columbia physician Don McKenzie gathered a group of survivors to prove that theory wasn’t true. Now almost every Dragon Boat event has Breast Cancer survivor and support teams and many have heats for the category.  

White strength and athletic ability certainly help – dragon boat races are won by those who excel in teamwork and synchronicity. The paddlers (and the audience) are spurred on by the drummer who pounds a rhythm in the front of the boat.

This is the 16^th year for the festival, which is the largest in the state. The boats are brightly painted and have a colorful dragon’s head at the front. The festival is opened with the tradition of dotting the dragon’s eye. The races begin at 7:45 and last until 3:30. If you get there at 7 a.m. you’ll get to see the Buddhist Monks bless the boats.

Dragon boat racing honors the Chinese poet Qu Yuan, who leaped into a river holding a large rock to express his sorrow at his country's downfall, some 2000 years ago. According to legend, people raced out to save him in their boats, drumming and beating their paddles to keep the fish and water dragons from getting to him.