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ragons and fire go together as a matter of course. Usually, the dragon breathes fire. This time, the dragon was on fire. It was the first annual Pamlico County Arts Council “Ignite the Arts” Dragon Burn, held to raise money and membership for the non-profit organization.

Dragon on fire.

The idea was simple: construct a large figure of a dragon, burn it to the ground. Pamlico Arts Board Member Marguerite Chadwick-Juner created the dragon design. She also built the dragon’s head. Shane Harris and Chris Daniels built the pallet body, and council members covered it with cardboard. The grounds of the Red Rooster (behind The Silos Restaurant) were deemed a fitting place to set it alight.

Marguerite Chadwick-Juner, a Pamlico Arts board member, designed the dragon and built the dragon’s head.

Bacon wrapped foods – shrimp, chicken, and pineapple – were served on site, a nod to the Chinese New Year’s Year of the Pig. Saltwater Gold provided the music. While waiting for dusk – the appointed burning hour – attendees drew on the dragon’s cardboard body. Others gathered around fire pits to keep warm.

The evening’s bacon-wrapped offerings.

As the sun set, the Oriental Drumming Dragons got to work, providing a beat to burn by.

Fireworks surrounding the construct were lit first, throwing sparks onto the cardboard body. Mayor Sally Belangia had the honor of lighting the tail, made of fast-burning Christmas Trees. More fireworks had been hidden inside the tail, head, and body.

Charles Stackhouse is geared up and ready.

The 20ft dragon burned quickly and hot. Firefighters from Station 19 were on hand to keep the burn under control as embers drifted into a field nearby. The crowd cheered. No losses, other than the dragon, were reported.

Rachel Prescott, a 6th grader from the Arapahoe Charter School, created the dragon featured on the poster and shirts for the 1st Annual Dragon Burn.

The Ignite the Arts poster featuring Rachel Prescott’s art.

Pamlico Arts created the event as way to get more members in Pamlico Arts. It worked. Eighty memberships were sold. Fifty of those were families. Board members deemed it a success, and are already thinking of how to make next year better. There’s talk of more bonfires, a few heat lamps, and a bigger dragon.

Scenes from a dragon burning.

Dragon’s end.

Video from the evening:

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There was a costume contest – best pig costume (for the Chinese New Year) and best dragon costume. They both won.

Before the burning.

Fire pits were set up to help fight the cold.

Keeping warm.

Firetrucks were on standby.

Firefighters approach from the field, putting out any small flames they encounter on the way.

Marguerite Chadwick-Juner designed the dragon and built the head.

A captivated crowd watches the dragon burn.

Posted Monday February 4, 2019 by Allison DeWeese