Lakeside residents excited about dragon boats

People in Lakeside are excited about the potential opportunity to host this year’s Montana Dragon Boat Festival, although some expressed concerns about traffic flow and parking.

Lakeside residents attended a public comment session Tuesday night at the Lakeside Town Center to fill out comment cards and ask questions about the plan to move the festival from Bigfork to Lakeside. 

“We had over 100 people there, and they were asking a lot of very good questions,” said Diane Medler, director of the Kalispell Convention and Visitor Bureau, which puts on the festival. “It seemed to be very positive.” 

The meeting provided several informational flyers and posters showing preliminary parking and security plans as well as economic impact and potential 2015 festival schedule. 

People were given the opportunity to ask questions and voice concerns to festival organizers as well as provide comments to the West Shore Visitor Bureau, Lakeside-Somers Chamber of Commerce and the Kalispell Convention and Visitor Bureau. 

The festival is scheduled Sept. 12 and 13 in Volunteer Park in Lakeside. 

The race course is mapped to parallel Lakeside Boulevard, with spectator parking to the west of the Lakeside QRU building, at Lakeside School, and at a Montana Department of Transportation site on Soren Lane. 

In general, people at Tuesday’s meeting seemed excited about the chance to host the festival and showcase Lakeside. 

“The [Dragon Boat] Festival is about community and fun, and that’s what we have here in Lakeside,” said Josh Townsley, owner of Tamarack Brewing Co. “It’s going to be spectacular to get a chance to show off.” 

 For the past three years, the Dragon Boat Festival has been staged at Flathead Lake Lodge near Bigfork. 

The visitor bureau in December announced a plan to move the festival to Lakeside. At the Bigfork venue, parking was limited around the lodge, so festival-goers had to be shuttled from a remote parking lot, which added costs.

“We were thrilled when they told us the festival might come to Lakeside,” said Joan Bartlett, who lives on lakefront property facing the Lakeside Dragon Boat race course. “We’ll have front-row seats.” 

Bartlett said that her husband, who will soon be 82, has trouble walking and could never attend the festival in previous years because of the amount of standing and walking required to get to the lakefront. 

Lakeside also has generally calmer water than Bigfork, according to Mark Lorang of the University of Montana Biological Station.

Many attendees at the meeting expressed concern that roads in Lakeside will be too congested and traffic flow will be hindered. 

“This is a great opportunity for Lakeside, but it’s going to be a zoo,” said Scott Eisenlohr, a member of the volunteer ambulance team in Lakeside. “We’ll probably have to have everyone either at the festival or at the hall, just to be prepared.” 

Several thousand people have attended previous Dragon Boat events.

Not all Lakeside residents welcome the venue change.

Gina Asbridge lives on lakefront property in front of the race course and said she worries about people going around barriers and sneaking onto her property. 

“There’s a whole other part of the race course down near our house, and if someone walks out on my dock and slips, I’m suddenly liable for that,” Asbridge said.

She also said she is worried about being able to navigate through traffic during the festival. 

The Kalispell Convention and Visitor Bureau submitted an application Feb. 3 to the Flathead County Planning and Zoning Office for use of Volunteer Park for the Dragon Boat Festival. The county Board of Adjustment is expected to consider the application April 7, according to Erik Mack, an associate planner for the county. 

After that, festival planners will fine-tune their operating plans, Medler said. 

“Some residents expressed concern because other celebrations like Fourth of July can get unruly, but we plan to keep the festival as clean as possible,” she said.