Duck Race

Yesterday we went to a duck race.


Not this kind of duck race......



....Not even this kind of duck race.



It was this kind of a duck race.



Here are some of the racers -- rarin' to go! I'm not sure which one is our little quacker, whom we affectionately refer to as "#107170". Unfortunately, he was not a winner, but we love him anyway!



Here is the (rather scary looking) official duck race mascot.



AND THEY'RE OFF!

Being dumped out of a garbage dumpster seems a little undignified to me, but I guess it's the fairest way to get more than 60,000 contestants into the race at the same time. :)
I got this picture off the internet, as we were not present at the start of the race.


Our first view of them coming around the bend of the river.



Here are a few as they pass under the bridge where we're watching.



Unfortunately, many of the timid ones head for the calmer waters along the shoreline. The really competitive ones go straight for the rapids!



Clay thinks this one is going to be the winner because it's so far out ahead of the rest.



They're heading for the finish line, which you can see just to the right of that center bridge piling.




I think this is a picture of the finish line of last year's race. I understand that the winners are the first ones into the clear plastic funnel/box in the middle. Then the rest just get scooped up by nets, and boxed up to head out to their next race, somewhere else in the USA. Duck races are popular fund raisers.



Volunteers monitor the river to make sure no ducks get away.



They also had other activities for children there at the park near the finish line. Danica became a butterfly with the face painting. We think she looks like a comic book super hero. Neil thought she looked like a professional wrestler!