What does it take to make a successful Duck Derby? Sponsors, sweaty costumes, volunteers, villagers, and a few thousand well-loved rubber ducks.
The Rotary Club’s first rubber duck derby was in 2008. In 2005, Mimi Godwin came to the club with the idea of doing a Rubber Duck Derby. She was driving through a Massachusetts town when the local Rotary Club was holding its annual Duck Race and thought this could be a great community event for our Club.
It took three years for her to convince the club to try it.
The first year was expected to be a learning curve, and it was. The start-up expenses were exactly as expected. We decided that if we were going to do it, we would make the initial investment to do it as professionally as possible. So, we obtained sponsors to help with the start-up, and they have been loyal sponsors since the start. Later, many other sponsors joined us. See our website for a full list of sponsors.
We decided we needed to promote the Rubber Duck Derby and Costumed Ducks would help us do that. We purchased costumes but who would want to get into these Costumes? There weren’t a lot of Rotarians willing to do this, and we decided the costumes were too expensive to let random people use them. So, Mimi Godwin and JoAnne Murray decided, why not? We would be the costumed ducks. We made this decision with the agreement that we would be the only ones to use the costumes. No sharing sweat.
The next issue was the rubber ducks. We could purchase the inexpensive ducks from a well-known online supplier but decided against that. We spoke with some of the Rotary Clubs that had successful Duck Derbies and found that the weighted ducks looked better as they raced (no upside-down ducks in the water). So weighted ducks it was.
Now, we couldn’t let people adopt the rubber ducks as they might not show up at the race, and it would be hard to keep track of numbers and winners. So, Adoption Papers were designed, and the numbered ducks remained with the club.
After the race is over, 2400 wet ducks are scooped up from the stream. These are taken to Larah Alami’s (owner of Hudson Eye Wear) house, laid out in her driveway, and given a soapy bath and rinse. Once they dry in the sun, they are returned to JoAnne Murray and her and her husband sort the 2400 rubber ducks into numerical order to make sure they are all there (some escape during the race). Unnumbered ducks are kept on hand to fill in the missing numbers. Then, they are stored for the winter.
The day before the race, the ducks again are laid out in the parking lot of Allan Block Insurance, and we double-check to make sure all the adopted ducks are ready to race.
On race day, as ducks are adopted, the numbers are recorded, and these ducks are distributed into one of the six bins to be raced in one of the six heats. Hope Hose and Conqueror Firehouse members are on hand to make sure the stream is ready for racing and provide the “water power” to ensure a swift race. When we first brainstormed about having a race in 2008, where to have it, and how to do it, it was the product of hours of discussion by Gerry Bartlett, A Rotarian and Firefighter, and Joey McCarthy, a firefighter, along with other members of the firehouses. While Gerry and Joey have passed away, the firehouses continue to support this event every year, perfecting the races.
On the day of the race, the Costumed Ducks greet children, adults and pets in the park for photos and dump the bins of ducks into the stream for each heat. Even a cool spring jacket day, will be a hot day in the costume for the costumed ducks. The Tarrytown Ambulance Corps is on hand making sure that we take breaks in the truck every 20 minutes. They provide water and ice packs when necessary.
Leading up to the day of the event, Hope Hose and Conquerer firefighters get together to clean out the stream and prepare it for the Big Race. If it were not for the firehouse members, there would be no Rubber Ducky Derby.
It takes many volunteers to make this a success on the day of the event. They turn out to sell ducks, sort ducks, record ducks, and, with waders on, stand in the stream to scoop up the winning ducks.
The event brings together Rotarians, families, and individuals for a good old-fashioned fun day at the park. All the funds raised are returned to the communities of Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow in the form of grants.
The Rotary Club collaborates with the Tarrytown YMCA, which runs its Healthy Kids Day in the park during the Duck Derby. The YMCA arranges for entertainment, food trucks, vendors, and games. food, entertainment, amusements, arts and crafts. This year they will have the Bubble Bus! Bracelets for the rides are available at ymcatarrytown.org
Ducks can be adopted online until April 23 at tarrytownrotary.org. Ducks can also be adopted on the day of the event at the park. The event is Saturday, April 26, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Patriot’s Park. Races start at 11:15 a.m.
