The Lake Superior Dragon Boat Festival is organized by the Superior Rotary Club, Duluth's Harbortown Rotary Club amd the Superior Sunrise Centennial Rotary Club. The primary goal of the festival is to raise funds for a designated charity, a variety of charitable, non-profit organizations, and provide a free and open family event for our community. This event is intended to draw participants and spectators from throughout the mid-western United States and central Canada and is designed for the recreation and enjoyment of both residents and visitors.

The Harbortown Rotary Club was chartered on March 24, 1984 with 24 members, and current membership is now approaching 90. Just as the club membership is comprised of people from many walks of life, it was decided early on that the goals of the club were not to be simply limit the growth to that of membership, but also to place emphasis on growth in fellowship, community and international service.

Harbortown has a solid reputation for community service. The club’s first service projects included helping move the county social services offices and painting a senior center office. These ‘hands-on’ projects required a time commitment from members and became the heart of the club’s community service efforts from the beginning. Not only are these types of projects needed in the community, but they also serve to strengthen the ties among club members as they work side-by-side in service to others.

Further examples of past community service projects include construction of a playground at the Bethany Crisis Shelter, construction of a playground at Women’s Transitional Housing, extensive work at the Janette Pollay Girl Scout Camp (including making the facilities handicap accessible), and numerous projects at the Duluth YMCA and at the Y’s Camp Miller in Sturgeon Lake. Harbortown Rotary has a major commitment to focus community service projects on youth and senior citizens, and is always seeking out suggestions for opportunities in these areas.

One of the guiding principals of Rotary International (the governing body of all Rotary Clubs) is to provide service to all of mankind – both locally and globally. With this directive, the Harbortown Rotary Club is also very active in international service projects. Whether it be in South America, Africa, Central America, Caribbean Islands or India, Rotarians from Harbortown have joined together with citizens of these countries to complete projects as simple as painting schools and hospitals to as complex as building water reservoirs and rural clinics.

Sometimes service to others takes the form of monetary contributions. In order to raise funds to contribute to these worthwhile organizations and projects that are in-need, the Harbortown Rotary Club raises funds through several fundraising events each year. Club members sell poinsettias, trip raffle tickets and contribute several hundreds of hours of volunteer time organizing and orchestrating the Lake Superior Dragon Boat Festival.

This festival is the single largest fundraising event of the club, and requires participation from each and every club member to make the event profitable, as well as fun for all. The continued success of the Lake Superior Dragon Boat Festival will allow Harbortown Rotary Club to remain very active and generous in service both here in the Twin Ports, as well as around the world.

Superior Rotary Club 40 was the first Rotary Club in Wisconsin. Chartered in 1912, the Club has grown from the initial 24 members to a thriving and active club of almost 80 members. Since its inception, Superior Rotary Club has taken the Rotary motto “Service above Self” to heart by energetically participating in projects and services that benefit the community. Rotarians from Superior have served not only with their hands but also with their pocketbooks, contributing untold hours and dollars to community projects and to Rotary activities.

The Superior Rotary Club takes its commitment to serve seriously as evidenced by the many projects that it has undertaken to benefit the community. The revenues from major fundraisers, e.g., pancake breakfast, Birthday fund and raffle, have included support for Club sponsored annual Rotary youth tennis tournament and each year awards two scholarships to outstanding senior high school students to help defray college expenses. The Club has also lent the expertise of its membership in mock interview experiences with students not only in Superior but also in Duluth and has contributed to the expansion of the Superior YMCA building.

Over the years, the Superior Rotary Club has recognized that it can maximize its service by entering into joint projects with other Rotary Clubs in the Twin Ports and have done so enthusiastically. Some examples of these joint efforts include being co-hosts for district conventions and Rotary Foundation dinners as well as supporting fund-raising projects in all the clubs. In 2001, Superior Rotary joined hands with the Duluth Harbortown Club in sharing with that club the Partnership of the Lake Superior Dragon Boat Festival.

At each meeting of the Superior Rotary Club, the membership recites together the Rotary Four-Way Test. This weekly reaffirmation of the principles of Rotary helps the Club to remember what it means to be a Rotarian. It reminds the membership that it has an obligation to be more than just another citizen of the community. Being more than just another citizen of the community means that we begin by taking seriously the aim of all Rotary Clubs, which is “Service Above Self.” Co-sponsoring the Lake Superior Dragon Boat Festival with the Duluth Harbortown Club is just one example of that commitment.

Superior Sunrise Centennial Rotary Club was officially chartered as club #68,396 on February 23, 2005, the day of Rotary International’s Centennial. Superior Sunrise was formed not only to offer a morning Rotary option for community members, but to expand Rotary opportunities in the community as well. Charter members numbered 28; 18 from our sponsoring club, Superior Rotary, and 10 members new to the Rotary family. Like all clubs, Superior Sunrise has experienced an ebb and flow in individual members, but membership overall has remained strong at 28. It’s also a size that has fostered fellowship and generated camaraderie among members that may not occur in larger clubs.