 The lakes may still be frozen, but some Dragon Boat paddlers are ready to hit the water. Josh Peterson shows us tonight how preparations for the Lake Bemidji Dragon Boat Festival are officially underway. It's hard to imagine that in just a few months, this space at Paul Bunyan Park will be the site of celebration for the 13th annual Lake Bemidji Dragon Boat Festival. For those teams ready to go, a pre-paddling party was in order. Especially on a day today where it's 70 degrees, it's nice to have, you know, a summer in the mind and to know that in a few months we're going to be having the festival and everyone will be paddling. The basement of Kagan Cork was bustling with activity as some Dragon Boat team members got their first opportunity to talk with festival committee members and steersmen about the upcoming festival. The evening was also an opportunity to hear from the first city paddling club and sign up for practice sessions, but once the ice melts. Participating in it is so easy because anybody can literally jump in and do this event, okay? It's fun, it's competitive, you can take it to whatever level you're comfortable with. Growth is why many businesses have put teams together over the past 13 years of the event. Many see the Dragon Boat Festival as a great team building experience. Just because you have so many different people, we had construction people on our team, we had service reps, people from the front desk, and we had, you know, our general manager was also in the boat with us. In just a few months, tents, vendors, boats, and spectators will fill this entire hillside for the annual four-day event, which plays a major part in Bemidji's summer tourism industry. You know, we have families come together, you know, businesses bring their teams in from out of town. They're eating in restaurants, they're staying in hotels, you know, they're walking around our city, you know, enjoying what we have to offer. Currently, Dragon Boat Racing is one of the fastest growing water sports in the nation because it's fast-paced and engaging for spectators. Unlike a lot of different activities where you might see a start and a finish, I mean, you can root for your favorite team, you know, our family cups or business cups, so very, very spectator-friendly. In Bemidji, Josh Peterson, Lakeland News. And for those interested in putting a team together, we have posted a link on our website at lptv.org slash news. If you enjoyed this segment of Lakeland News, please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to Lakeland PBS.