Residents around Orion swear they spotted a dragon on the lake last weekend.
But they also saw dragons in the park’chalked on the pavement, twisted from balloons, tattooed on arms and backs, and painted on faces. At one point, a drove of dragons’small rubber ones’was even spotted floating down the creek.
The first annual Dragon on the Lake festival, said organizers, was a roaring success.
‘We wanted to put on a festival that had a lot of integrity,? said Reggie Harrison, director of the Orion Art Center. ‘The idea was to get some really cool stuff that wouldn’t cost people a fortune. We wanted people to come out and have fun, not come out and buy things.?
After months of planning, organizing, coordinating, the event began with a kick-off party Friday night and continued until Sunday, when the big fire-breathing dragon’built atop a pontoon boat’went back to the lake to give a farewell-for-now salute to Lake Orion.
Next year, Harrison said, she’s hoping the big guy will have some company.
‘We’re hoping to have a dragon boat parade, and dragon boat races,? she said. ‘We’re thinking of new ways to get people involved, and we’re already tossing around quite a few ideas. There’s so much potential for the festival to grow.?
Lisa Cummins was also immersed in planning and pulling off the festival.
‘We’re all pretty pleased, in spite of the rain Saturday,? said Cummins, who serves as president on the Art center’s Board of Directors. ‘We had a lot of good feedback; and a lot of good comments from our food vendors. I think they did pretty well, and several committed to coming out again next year.?
It was also an opportunity, she noted, to introduce people to the Art Center; many newcomers came through to take a look at the photo display.
Cummins also said she heard quite a few comments from people who were happy to find so much available at no cost.
‘And of course our big dragon on the lake was a riot,? she said, noting she and others went along the fearsome firebreathing fellow went back in the water for a ride around the lake Sunday night. ‘We had people running out of their houses, or coming out on their balconies cheering, clapping and saying how great it was.?
Cummins said they’d like to get the dragon in the homecoming parade, but hadn’t yet talked to school officials. The dragon, was, however, already lined up for the Halloween parade, as well as the Christmas parade.
In the meantime, he’ll be hanging out in Cummins? carriage house on Lake Orion.
Patrons also enjoyed activities such as a community mural project on the fence at the Orion Art Center, glass blowing and chainsaw dragon sculpting demonstrations, wooden boat show at Orion Marine, live entertainment and performances by theatre groups and artists arts and crafts, games, and a Chalk Art Challenge’also known as sidewalk painting’in the municipal lot.
Come back to the Lake Orion Review next week and we talk to the four winners and show you what they came up with.