Daybreak Rotary will be taking its ducks back to the pool this summer.
Following on the heels of last year’s inaugural Duck Dip success, the rubber duckies will return to the waters of Centennial Pool.
The Duck Dip, which helps raise money for Rotary’s community projects, is Sat., August 24, beginning at 11 a.m. Glen Clark, the head duck, says the dipping of the ducks will be at 3 p.m.
The family-oriented event replaces the traditional Quacker 5000 Duck Race down the Campbell River.
The idea is still the same – 5,000 ducks are sale for $10 a piece and several lucky ducks are pulled from the water and the owner of each duck drawn wins one of a number of prizes.
The difference is in how the ducks are selected. Instead of trying to figure out which ducks made it down the river the fastest, all of the ducks are dumped into Centennial Pool for dippers to scoop out of the pool blindfolded.
There’s also entertainment leading up to the dip.
“There will be a free swim for kids,” Clark says. “We’ll have a barbecue, face painting, a Bounce-A-Rama in the park and there’ll be a fishing pond for prizes.”
The Campbell River Storm hockey team will be hosting a hockey shoot and Clark is also hoping to have a petting zoo set up for the younger kids.
Ducks will be on sale for $10 leading up to the event on Aug. 24, seven days a week throughout the community, including at Save-On Foods, Thrifty’s, Discovery Foods, Quality Foods, the Coachman Beer and Wine Store, the Framing Post, and the Visitor Centre. Tickets will also be sold Sundays at the Pier Street Farmer’s Market. Any ducks left over will be on sale at Centennial Pool the day of the event.
First prize is $5,000 cash. With the purchase of each ticket also comes a coupon sheet for local businesses worth more than $500, including a half-price pass for Centennial Pool. The funds for this year’s Duck Dip will go towards a program through the John Howard Society in which youth, along with a supervisor, help seniors with odd jobs around their home. A portion of the proceeds from the Dip will also go towards a $15,000 donation from Rotary to the downtown aquarium for a pumping system. Since its inception, Campbell River’s Daybreak Rotary Club, which is 100 per cent volunteers, has built the Maritime Heritage Centre, and contributed to the creation of the Hillcrest House and the splash park, among several other projects.