The 2021 Colorado Dragon Boat Festival is cancelled, this time for good.
Organizers told CBS4 a combination of the spread of the Delta variant and the proliferation of the blue-green algae bloom at Sloan Lake is forcing the cancellation.
“After weighing the health and safety of our community, volunteers, dragon
boaters, and performers, and also considering the current closure of Sloan’s Lake due to the health risks posed by a blue-green algae bloom, we have decided that the most prudent decision is to cancel the 2021 Colorado Dragon Boat Festival,” the group said in a statement. “This decision was not made lightly.”
It had previously been scheduled to take place in July, but was rescheduled for September, according to News9.
Blue-green algae is poisonous to pets and wildlife when it is ingested or licked off fur, health department officials told News 9. They say it can cause neurological damage, liver failure and even death.
Last year organizers cancelled the festival due to the coronavirus.
They are confident they will be able to bring it back next year.
“We hope to bring our annual celebration of Asian and Asian American Pacific Islander heritage back in 2022.”
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