The Duck Races

Bend is big into festivals, farmer's markets, races of every kind (especially bike) and the Great Drake Park Duck Races. The duck races are an event sponsored by the Rotary Clubs of Bend (we have four of them in our little town) as a fundraiser for their main charities.

What happens is that people can "sponsor" a duck for $5 a piece. Then at 2 o'clock they release all the little multicolored duckies into the river (much to the surprise of the resident ducks) and they float downstream to a funnel that feeds one duck at a time through so they can record who the winners are. The prizes are AWESOME! We're talking about a boat (Bob was drooling over this one), a car, ski passes, hotel vouchers for weekend getaways, decking material (we could have used that)...etc.

Before the official duck race started, there was a kids duck race. Every child that was in attendance was able to sign up for a free duck, get a free t-shirt, a free HUGE red licorice stick, and a coupon for a free kids meal at Applebee's. It was awesome! The kids race had their own prizes and I think they had a total of 75 prizes ranging from a tubing party for 10 at Mt. Bachelor to a Wii Playstation to bike helments to Happy Meals from McDonald's.

We had fun just cruising around, watching the ducks, visiting with our friends Ed and Barbara that joined us and hanging around Katya who was working a Campfire booth selling yo yo balloons, helicopter balloons and those huge punching balloons. The weather was just beautiful and couldn't have been more perfect.

As the kids were falling asleep on us we waited for the prizes to be announced for the kids race since you had to be present to win. Guess who won something from our family? Logan!! He won a Happy Meal gift certificate! Granted, after watching "Super Size Me" we won't be going back to McDonald's any time soon - but it is so cool he won!

Unfortunately, we did not win anything from the main duck race. Bummer! But there is always next year! I need my mother up here to sponsor a duck. She has the best luck of anyone I have ever met. She'd win us a boat for sure.