The spectators didn’t come to watch horses or dogs, however. They stood on the banks of the Mill River to cheer on their ducks.
The event was part of the church’s annual Kid’s Festival and Rubber Ducky Race, a fundraiser and outreach to the community. The festival features 20 activities that include a bounce house, water slide, and face-painting. About 100 children and their families attend, says Crista Forstrom, festival coordinator.
The highlight, however, is the great race. The spectators gathered to watch more than 300 ducks, which are really plastic, float several hundred yards down the river.
Participants paid $20 for one duck, $50 for three and $100 for seven. They competed for one of 34 prizes, including a family vacation at a time-share in Virginia that had been donated. The ducks were identified by numbers.
Spectators cannot see the ducks when they are placed in the water, and begin cheering when the brightly colored toys pop into view. The race lasts about 20 minutes. At the finish line, workers move quickly to capture the ducks and record the order of finish.
“It gets pretty chaotic!” says Annie Forstrom.
Crista Forstrom says the business community was eager to donate to the event when they learned of the work that would be supported. To help promote the race, organizers distributed copies of a Covenant Companion story about the denomination’s work in Phoenix, a historic African American community just south of New Orleans that was virtually wiped out by Hurricane Katrina.
Members of the church will help with reconstruction later this year.
