Enter the Dragon

War! The Charles River, which is typically invaded by tourists in Duckboats, will have an unexpected rival this week. The question: Is there enough room in our dirty water for Ducks AND Dragons? Now before you think the Bostonist has completely flipped our lid, check out The Boston Dragon Boat Festival coming to town this Sunday, June 12.

Bostonist didn't believe it at first, but the prospect of giant metal World War II duck boats going head-to-head for water space with dragon-headed glorified gondolas is just too tempting to miss. Bostonist hasn't been this excited about inadvertent demolition since moving day in September when we watched the incoming freshmen's U-Hauls getting stuck on Storrow.

Upon further investigation into the Dragon Boat Festival, it actually looks like a pretty interesting event. The side events around this race range from American cuisine, oriental dishes, Asian arts and crafts, drumming and also opera. On the Week's Foot Bridge, there will be a Wah Lum Kung Fu Academy Dragon Dance demonstration that sounds like a fun space-constrained spectacle.

While that's all good, the main event will be the races. Teams from around the continent (mostly sponsored by private companies) will be competing in their own Dragon Boats to get the best times down the Charles. What we really are liking are the team names, which add a little spice to the show. This is much better than the Kentucky Derby, with teams like 2 FAST 2 FURIOUS (a.k.a. Paddlestar Gallactica), EAT WAKE, and The Aquaholics trying to capture the internationally coveted Dragon Boat Trophy.

The Aquaholics were taken off our favorites list; they invite you to check out their website to learn more about their history and also to "check out our gorgeous 'Aquababes'!"

Bostonist looked. There were no Aquababes...

Contributed by Matthew Nelson/image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons