PORT ANGELES — A quacky sort of family fun will race into Port Angeles on Sunday.
The 22nd annual Great Olympic Peninsula Duck Derby will not only award prizes worth a total of $25,000, but also provide an opportunity for families to enjoy a carnival-like atmosphere at the Nippon Paper Industries canal.
Although the races at the canal at the plant on Marine Drive won’t officially begin until 11 a.m., the vendors will open at 10 a.m., said Bruce Skinner, executive director of the Olympic Medical Center Foundation.
The event is a fundraiser for the foundation and for the Sequim Rotary Club’s charitable projects.
So far, 25,000 tickets that match up with numbers on the same number of rubber ducks have been sold, Skinner said.
He predicted about 30,000 total will sell by race day.
Tickets can purchased at the event.
Each duck ticket for the main race costs $5, and $25 buys six ducks.
Grand prize
The grand prize is a new 2011 Toyota Tacoma pickup truck or a Toyota Corolla donated by Wilder Toyota-Scion.
Forty-four other prizes for the main race include $1,500 and $750 in cash from 7 Cedars Casino, gift certificates and other items donated from throughout the North Olympic Peninsula and Canada.
The V.I.D. — Very Important Duck — Race will be at 11 a.m., just prior to the main race.
Large, yellow rubber ducks, each costing $250, are emblazoned with the logos of the ticket holders and are in the Bub and Alice Olsen Very Important Duck Race.
The main race will be at 11:30 a.m.
The ducks will be loaded into a dump truck and spilled into the canal to float in on the tide.
There will be lots of activities the day of the race,” Skinner said.
“It is a great family event — and of course, everyone wants to see if your duck won or not.”
A special tent for children will offer activities for youngsters while food vendors will be available for the whole family.
“It is always a great community and family event,” Skinner said.
KONP radio (1450 AM, 102.1 FM and www.konp.com on the Internet) will broadcast the race live from the Nippon canal.
For more information, visit www.omhf.org or phone 360-417-7144.
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Reporter Paige Dickerson can be reached at 360-417-3535 or at paige.dickerson@peninsuladailynews.com.
