Coronavirus

Dragon Boat races are done in La Crosse

Published

4 years ago

November 17, 2020

COVID-19 has slain the Dragon Boat Race.

Mayo Clinic in La Crosse has announced that there will be no more Big Blue Dragon Boat Festivals, mainly because of concerns about the pandemic.

The races of long boats began in 2013, and took place for seven years in La Crosse, as a fund-raiser for Mayo’s breast cancer programs.

The summertime event started as a feature of Riverfest on the Mississippi, but later moved to the Black River along Copeland Park.

Organizers cancelled this year’s festival out of fears that boat crews working close together and large crowds could spread the virus.

The same worries still apply now, and Mayo Clinic says it might lose money if contracts to hold the races again in 2021 have to be cancelled.

Brad Williams

A native of Prairie du Chien, Brad graduated from UW - La Crosse and has worked in radio news for more than 30 years, mostly in the La Crosse area. He regularly covers local courts and city and county government. Brad produces the features "Yesterday in La Crosse" and "What's Buried on Brad's Desk." He also writes the website "Triviazoids," which finds odd connections between events that happen on a certain date, and he writes and performs with the local comedy group Heart of La Crosse. Brad been featured on several national TV programs because of his memory skills.