Although organizers of the Bearberry Duck Race had hoped for a bigger turnout, their expectations were nevertheless blown away by how much the fundraiser brought in for the Sundre and District Aquatic Society.
Although organizers of the Bearberry Duck Race had hoped for a bigger turnout, their expectations were nevertheless blown away by how much the fundraiser brought in for the Sundre and District Aquatic Society.
"We believe that we're sitting over $10,000 after expenses," said board director Verna McFadden during a phone interview on Monday morning.
"This totally surprised us; it over-exceeded our expectations!"
The weather was warm and "absolutely gorgeous," and organizers were glad to be spared the smoky conditions that have since Sunday been wafting along over the border with B.C., where numerous wildfires are raging.
"We were fortunate," McFadden told the Round Up.
Every last one of the 500 numbered ducks was sold for $10 each, representing about $5,000 of the funds raised. After volunteers released the small, plastic racers into the Bearberry Creek, one of the ducks must have caught a current the others missed and ended up with a five-minute lead, she said.
"I don't know what he had for breakfast!" she joked with a laugh, adding a few volunteers got rather wet during the release and recovery of all the ducks.
This year's top-four winners were as follows: Roxanne Carlson, from Sherwood Park; Ryan and Alison Swelin, from Calgary; Michael Miller, from Calgary; as well as Karen and Gerry Babron, from Cochrane.
Additionally, the pie auction — which saw members of the public and MLA Jason Nixon attempting to outbid Wildrose Leader Brian Jean for a special banana cream pie that Jean ended up buying for about $345 — raised roughly $880, she said.
"It was lots of fun. Everybody had a great time."
The strong man competition ended up becoming a strong kids competition, with the first-prize winners receiving a first-place cup with chocolate bars and other gifts. The duck poop bingo was also a resounding success, as was the 50/50 ticket sales, the bake sale and of course the silent auction also, she said.
"The silent auction was a super, super success. People are still picking up their items."
As for the children's competition to name a three-foot stuffed duck, there were plenty of cute monikers submitted, but as of Monday, volunteer residents at the Sundre Seniors' Supportive Living centre had not yet had the opportunity to pick a winner, she said.
Since there were not enough registrations for the talent show, organizers resorted to a fallback plan to provide some live entertainment performed by Olds musician Nolan Ray and his Sundre partner Therry Lauzon.
"It was a fun event to play for," Ray told the Round Up Monday morning during a phone interview as he worked a tractor in the fields.
Organizers had hoped to draw a larger crowd, he said, but those who did attend really seemed to enjoy themselves, he said.
"A lot of people missed out!"
McFadden expressed appreciation for the musicians' performance.
"They were phenomenal," she said.
Following the big event, the organizer was glad to be able to recharge and recover from the effort that went into planning for and putting on the fundraiser.
"It was a lot of work, a lot of fun and a lot of money was brought in!"
