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7th annual Pittsburgh Dragon Boat Festival draws record crowd while supporting breast cancer survivors | TribLIVE.com
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7th annual Pittsburgh Dragon Boat Festival draws record crowd while supporting breast cancer survivors

Natalie Beneviat
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Natalie Beneviat | For TribLive
Dragons are “awakened” to race by the dotting of the eyes, done by those who were either a member of a breast cancer survivor team or an all-cancer survivor team. The 2025 Pittsburgh Dragon Boat Festival was held Sept. 27 at North Park Lake.
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Natalie Beneviat | For TribLive
Janice Kuretich of Forest Hills, a cancer survivor since 2013, shows off her Pittsburgh Hearts of Steel shirt. The 2025 Pittsburgh Dragon Boat Festival in support of breast cancer survivors was held Sept. 27 at North Park Lake.
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Natalie Beneviat | For TribLive
A team gets ready to race during the 2025 Pittsburgh Dragon Boat Festival on Sept. 27 in North Park.
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Natalie Beneviat | For TribLive
Darlene Goldfinch, festival co-chair with Sandy Hirsch, addresses the crowd before the races begin during the 2025 Pittsburgh Dragon Boat Festival on Sept. 27 at North Park Lake.
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Natalie Beneviat | For TribLive
Phyllis Lee of Louisville, Ky., paints an eye on a dragon as part of the eye-dotting ceremony to “awaken” the dragons for the race. The 2025 Pittsburgh Dragon Boat Festival in support of breast cancer survivors was held Sept. 27 at North Park Lake.
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Natalie Beneviat | For TribLive
Anne Matthews, a founding member of Against the Wind, dots a dragon’s eye during the 2025 Pittsburgh Dragon Boat Festival on Sept. 27 in North Park. Her racing team, RiverWinds, is a composite team made up of paddlers from River Sisters in South Jersey and Against the Wind in Philadelphia.
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Members of the Pittsburgh Steel City Selects, a female ice hockey team, participated in the 2025 PIttsburgh Dragon Boat Festival on Sept. 27 in North Park: back row (from left): Allie Zivkovic, Izzy King, Ava Jamiolkowski (with sunglasses atop head) and Angeline Morascyzk (in blue shirt); middle row (from left): Gemma Scarlatelli (in blue shirt), Keira Roddy, Kaitlin Sable, Alleigh Slugo, Colleen Gray, Veronica Wittmer, Tayler Grega and Violet Hitchcock; front row (from left): Emerson Morgan, Olivia Primeau, Maddie McGee, Kenzie Dorsche and Leila Raina.
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Natalie Beneviat | For TribLive
Shellie Yeung of Upper St. Clair is a drummer for the Pittsburgh Hearts of Steel team. The 2025 Pittsburgh Dragon Boat Festival was held Sept. 27 at North Park Lake.
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Natalie Beneviat | For TribLive
Numbered dragon boats line the shore of the lake at North Park on Sept. 27 during the 2025 Pittsburgh Dragon Boat Festival, which was hosted by the Pittsburgh Hearts of Steel, a team made up of breast cancer survivors.
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Natalie Beneviat | For TribLive
Mary Grace Nichol of Crafton, a 10-year cancer survivor and supporter of Hearts of Steel, displays her dress during the 2025 Pittsburgh Dragon Boat Race on Sept. 27 at North Park.
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Natalie Beneviat | For TribLive
First Lutheran Church Holy Ship, a dragon boat team from Pittsburgh, sets off to race Sept. 27 during the 2025 Pittsburgh Dragon Boat Festival. The festival was hosted by the Pittsburgh Hearts of Steel, a team made up of breast cancer survivors.
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Natalie Beneviat | For TribLive
Julie Helbling of Bellevue shows her support during the 2025 Pittsburgh Dragon Boat Festival, which was hosted Sept. 27 in North Park by the Pittsburgh Hearts of Steel, a team made up of breast cancer survivors.
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Natalie Beneviat | For TribLive
Members of dragon boat team Barely There, based in Monroeville, pose for a photo during the 2025 Pittsburgh Dragon Boat Festival on Sept. 27 in North Park.
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Natalie Beneviat | For TribLive
Teams race on the lake at North Park on Sept. 27 during the 2025 Pittsburgh Dragon Boat Festival, which was hosted by the Pittsburgh Hearts of Steel, a team made up of breast cancer survivors.
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Natalie Beneviat | For TribLive
Phyllis Lee of Louisville, Ky., a member of the Derby City Dragons, strikes a pose during the 2025 Pittsburgh Dragon Boat Festival on Sept. 27 in North Park.
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Natalie Beneviat | For TribLive
Adrienne Hanlon of Akron, Ohio, a breast cancer survivor and member of the Dragon Dream Team Ohio, proudly wears a cape emblasoned with “Well yes they’re fake, the real ones tried to kill us.” The 2025 Pittsburgh Dragon Boat Festival was held Sept. 27 in North Park.
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Natalie Beneviat | For TribLive
Allen Peng, a member of the Organization of Chinese Americans in Pittsburgh, performs a traditional drum beat during the eye-dotting ceremony of the dragons alongside his children, Amiana, 7, and Anthony, 4, all of Robinson Township. The 2025 Pittsburgh Dragon Boat Festival was held Sept. 27 at North Park Lake.
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Natalie Beneviat | For TribLive
Dragon boats line the shore of the lake at North Park on Sept. 27 during the 2025 Pittsburgh Dragon Boat Festival, which was hosted by the Pittsburgh Hearts of Steel.
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Natalie Beneviat | For TribLive
Tiffany Gallaher (left) of New Castle with Judy Menosky of Wilkinsburg are members of team Pittsburgh Hearts of Steel, which hosted the 2025 Pittsburgh Dragon Boat Festival on Sept. 27 in North Park.
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Natalie Beneviat | For TribLive
Melissa Gintert (from left), Jenn Pae, Becki Gisser and Gloria Rodriguez, all members of the DragonFlys team from Cleveland, Ohio, participated in the 2025 Pittsburgh Dragon Boat Festival on Sept. 27 in North Park.
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Natalie Beneviat | For TribLive
Gina Robinson (left) of New Albany, Ind., celebrates with teammate Michelle Hayes of Louisville, Ky., during the 2025 Pittsburgh Dragon Boat Festival on Sept. 27 at North Park Lake. They are members of the Derby City Dragons of Louisville, Ky.
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Natalie Beneviat | For TribLive
Participants and spectators mingle during the 2025 Pittsburgh Dragon Boat Festival in support of breast cancer survivors Sept. 27 at North Park Lake.

Dragons were spotted recently on North Park Lake, but they weren’t the fire-breathing kind.

And the misty morning provided the perfect backdrop for the seventh annual Pittsburgh Dragon Boat Festival on Sept. 27, hosted by Pittsburgh Hearts of Steel, a nonprofit breast cancer awareness organization.

Dragon boat racing is a Chinese tradition that dates back 2,500 years, according to the festival’s website.

The day began at 8:30 a.m. with students from Winchester Thurston performing a traditional lion dance before the survivor celebration, which featured food trucks, music and lots of dancing.

“It was a fantastic day. This was our largest festival to date with 34 teams competing, including teams from Kentucky, New Jersey, Ohio and from Eastern Pennsylvania,” said Sandy Hirsch, a member of Hearts of Steel and co-chair of the festival.

A ceremonial eye-dotting, or painting, of the dragon’s eye onto the boat, done by a cancer survivor, kicks off the racing. The eye-dotting awakens the dragon from last year’s race.

Traditionally, each boat has an ornately carved dragon’s head at the bow and a tail for the stern. The hull is painted with dragon scales.

The colorful 40-foot canoes consist of 20 to 24 rowers, sitting in pairs, in two rows. The race itself is 200 meters, according to the race website.

Each boat also has a steersperson in the rear and a drummer up front to keep cadence for the rowers.

Proceeds from the annual event benefit Pittsburgh Hearts of Steel, which formed in 2017.

“It’s a great source of support. It’s a great way to stay active, and it’s a great way to build friendships,” said Judy Menosky of Wilkinsburg, who was part of the Hearts of Steel team.

Mary Grace Nichol of Crafton is a 10-year cancer survivor and supporter of Hearts of Steel. She is HER2-positive for breast cancer, which is hormonal. Nichol said she always has to keep track of the status of the disease and her health — and to be a “fighter.”

Dressed as a “pink queen,” she was there reminding everyone of the importance of “early detection” and to “do what you need to do to survive.”

Janice Kuretich of Forest Hills, a member of Pittsburgh Hearts of Steel, has been cancer-free since 2013.

“It just makes me feel alive. Great community and great connections,” Kuretich said.

A list of this year’s participants and winners can be found online at pghdragonboatfestival.org under the “Resources” tab.

Natalie Beneviat is a Trib Total Media contributing writer.

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Categories: Allegheny | Local | North Allegheny
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