Who knew June 1 was such a big day for rubber duck races?
That Saturday, not one, not two, not three but four different cities held events pitting thousands of adorable rubber ducks against one another in the name of family fun and charity. And there certainly could have been more, those are just the four I could find online.
The Rotary Club of Strongsville (Ohio) had about 5,000 rubber ducks available for adoption and were dropped into the Metroparks Rocky River at about 2 p.m. on June 1. Basically once they're dropped, they're on their own unless they need a nudge to get back on course. The top five received prizes as part of the club's family fun day.
The Second Harvest Food Bank of New Orleans' race generated 18,741 rubber duck adoptions—89 percent of its 21,000 goal. One duck went for $5, with packages including $25 for six, $50 for 12 and $100 for 25. The top 12 received prizes, including $5,000 for the winner. Proceeds from the fundraiser went toward the food bank.
Wilmington, N.C., held the Annual Coastal Duck Derby to benefit the Coastal Horizons Crisis Intervention Services with a grand prize of $10,000. And in Milford, Conn., the United Way of Milford and the Woodruff Family YMCA held the second annual Milford Harbor Duck Race featuring up to 10,000 rubber ducks.
Now while this blog came too late for the June 1 races, apparently the season isn't over. Indianapolis is getting ready to host a similar event on June 23. Ducks are $5 each or six for $25 with the grand prize a gift card pack valued at more than $500. The race will begin at 4:30 p.m. on the Monon Bridge, but never fear, you don't have to be present to win.
And I'm sure that's not going to be the last race of the year.
Chris Sweeney is not taking bets on rubber duck races. Follow him on Twitter @CSweeneyRPN.