Duck, duck, duck… race over to Drake Park for great family fun that benefits area children in need too.
Kids and adults alike are invited to the 16th Annual Great Drake Park Duck Race. The event gets underway Sunday, September 10 at 11 a.m.
What better way to kick things off than with music, festivities and food? All will be in ample supply.
“There will be food booths, a climbing wall and great live entertainment,” said Andrea Chowins, a publicity volunteer for the Great Drake Park Duck Race. “There are lots of things for families to do.”
At noon, up to 500 kids will line up to race their ducks. “The kids race itself is free,” Chowins said. “They get to get out there, have a good time and root for their duck.”
At 1 p.m. tensions begin to build as the pre-race ceremonies get underway. At 2 p.m. the race will officially begin. Contestants gather at Galveston Bridge all in hopes of their duck reaching the Mirror Pond footbridge first.
“We are expecting about 18,000 ducks to go into the water,” Chowins said. There are dozens of prizes to be won, including a 2006 Chevy Equinox SUV supplied by Bob Thomas Chevrolet and 2006 Bayliner Ski Boat with trailer supplied by All Seasons RV & Marine.
“What is really neat is all of the proceeds go to local charities, many of which are child oriented,” she said.
So, the biggest winners of all are that charities the benefit from the event: the Boys and Girls Club, Shot’s for Tots, Mountain Star Family Relief Nursery, Volunteers in Medicine, COBRA, Lions Sight and Hearing Projects, Lions Children’s Projects, Alzheimer’s Association, Deschutes Children’s Foundation and KIDS Center.
“Funds that we receive from the Duck Race will go towards our capital campaign that we currently have underway to add 3,100 square feet to our KIDS Center at the Rosie Bareis Community Campus and to build a new 13,000-square-foot building,” said Jan Eggleston, the events executive director.
" These donations will go toward our ability to provide services to an additional 3,000 children and families per year,” she added.
Money raised for the Boys and Girls Club will go towards a rejuvenation project for the teen center.
“We will be able to purchase tables, chairs and technology for the teens and refurbish it in the latest colors and styles, so that teens feel that it is truly their space,” said Andrea Gibson, director of development for the Boys and Girls Club.
Official race ducks can be purchased for $5 from a Rotary or Lions Club member and at any branch of Bank of the Cascades until the day of the race.
In addition, they can be found at Newport Market, AmeriTitle, Bob Thomas Chevrolet, Mountain Comfort Furnishings, Pahlish Homes, Steve Scott Realty, Tumalo Feed Company and Niblick & Green’s Restaurant.
Chowins says, “Get out there and enjoy a family filled day and help do amazing things for the community.”
Bend Weekly Newslink: www.GreatDrakeParkDuckRace.com