Lakeside makes bid to host dragon boat races
The dragons may be going to Lakeside.
The Kalispell Convention Visitor Bureau is in talks with Lakeside tourism leaders about bringing the 2015 Montana Dragon Boat Festival to Lakeside.
The Montana Dragon Boat Festival has been in Bigfork the last two years, but organizers are looking for a less-expensive way to host the event. The festival has been in September at Flathead Lake Lodge in Bigfork. Participants and competitors in the race had to park two miles away and take shuttles to the lodge. That situation added considerable expense to the race, according to Diane Medler, director of the Kalispell CVB. She said Lakeside leaders approached her about bringing the race to the west shore of Flathead, where the race could be held in downtown Lakeside without having to use shuttle busses for participants.
The Kalispell visitor bureau also must rent the property at Flathead Lake Lodge, and having the event in Lakeside would remove that cost. Medler said the event could be based at Volunteer Park in Lakeside, with parking at three locations in Lakeside. She said Lakeside Boulevard, next to Volunteer Park, is a county road and, if permitted, the road could be closed off temporarily to provide event space.
“We are exploring some options,” Medler said. “We need to find a site that is economically viable for this event.”
Last year’s Dragon Boat Festival brought in nearly 7,000 participants and spectators to Flathead Lake Lodge. The Kalispell Visitor Bureau sponsors the event and brings in the customized dragon boats used in the race.
The Kalispell Visitor Bureau will decide by Jan. 1 where the race will be next fall. “If there was a way to keep this in Bigfork and make it pencil out, we’d be open to it,” Medler said.
The visitor bureau also brings the annual Spartan Race to Bigfork — an adventure challenge race that is on land owned by Flathead Lake Lodge near Woods Bay. The parking situation there is similar to the Dragon Boat event: participants must park in Bigfork and be shuttled to the event grounds. Medler said the Spartan Race will continue to be in Bigfork.