Dragon Boat Racing comes to Mecklenburg

[monsoon]

Looks like the Charlotte area will be joining the ranks of larger cities with large Asian communities with the arrival of Dragon Boat Races. This article explains it better than I, but it sounds like a great event.

I find it interesting the Charlotte Asian festival has decided to move from the Wachovia center downtown to Ramsey Creek park at Lake Norman. Ramsey Creek is a great park on the banks of the main channel, it has a K9 park, and also a boat ramp.

[Rickydavisfan21]

metro, where exactly is ramsey creek park?? road-wise that is, I know you are familiar with the area more so than me. This seems to be a very big cultural tradition, and will be a great event for Lake Norman, what other kinds of events are there like this at the lake?? Very informative article I just don't understand how to get there

[rjp212]

Oh man this looks like itll be fun to watch.

[Rickydavisfan21]

no doubt about that I'm excited and I think I might attend if I'm in town, its been years since I've been to the lake my parents go there a lot for company functions, but I never really have the opportunity, its been probably 4 years, so yea, anymore info you can give us would really help

[DigitalSky]

metro, where exactly is ramsey creek park?? road-wise that is, I know you are familiar with the area more so than me. This seems to be a very big cultural tradition, and will be a great event for Lake Norman, what other kinds of events are there like this at the lake?? Very informative article I just don't understand how to get there

Take I-77 North to Exit 28 [Cornelius/Catawba Avenue]

Make a right at the light, like you're going toward The Peninsula/Lake Norman.

After you pass Jetton Road, look on the Right for Nantz Road. Make a Right on Nantz Road, and then you'll see the enterance to the park on the right.

[Rickydavisfan21]

why thank you :-D

[monsoon]

Here is a little education on Lake Norman for you guys that might not be familiar with it.

Referring to the map below, what you are looking at is the southern portion of Lake Norman and the part that is located in Mecklenburg country. For navigational purposes the lake is divided into sections based on what was there before they flooded the area. The part in the big circle is known as the Ramsey Creek section of Lake Norman. Ramsey Creek was at the base of the valley that flooded that formed that section of the lake. So if you are on Lake Norman the channel markers in this section will be preceeded by a R. Thus if you have a navigatational chart for the lake and you see the R1 channel marker, you know you are at the entrance to the Ramsey Creek area. R4 is at the entrance to the Blythe Landing cove.

The dotted line to the left is the actual main channel and is the original path of the Catawba River. The lake is at its deepest at this point in being over 100 feet deep at full pond. Channel markers in the main channel do not have letters and the numbering starts at the Cowans Ford dam at the bottom of the map. So channel marker 1 is found at the dam. (though the big nuclear plant gives away where you are located )

As you can see Mecklenburg county maintains 3 parks on the lake. Ramsey Creek Park, Jetton Park, and Blythe Landing. All are reached off Hwy 73 (For Ramsey Creek and Jetton Park you have to be on the old part of 73 off exit 28, not the new part off exit 25) All three parks are very distinctive and worth a visit if you like natural places. Jetton Park has walking and biking trails along the lake and also has bike rental. In addition it offers a lot of private picnic areas right on the lake.

Blythe Landing is named as such because of the large very nice boat landing there. It has a cafe selling good food, and it is also the location where the beach volleyball leagues play. The county has recently performed a number of upgrades to the park including the rebuild of the beach volleyball area. More information at http://www.blythelandingvolleyball.com Blythe has a hidden feature that it important to all of Charlotte. It is the location of one of the water intakes for the CMUD system. It is cleverly hidden as a gazebo on the lake.

I am pretty sure that Mecklenburg is the only county of the 4 counties to include parks right on the lake, (unfortunately). The only other park is Duke Power State Park, now known as Lake Norman State Park, which is located much further north on the lake.

[Rickydavisfan21]

thank you :-)