The Sundre Aquaplex’s fourth annual Great Bearberry Duck Race again sold out all 500 tickets well in advance of the event.
“We always sell them out ahead of time,” said Leona Bennett, a director on the Sundre and District Aquatic Society board who co-organizes the duck race with Leslie Turgeon, Aquaplex manager.
At $10 per ticket, which are each numbered to correspond with one of the hundreds of ducks dropped into the Bearberry Creek, the race alone raises $5,000. However, contributing additional funds were a bake sale, 50-50 draw, a duck poop bingo as well as a silent auction.
In total, this year’s event, which took place Saturday, July 14 at the Aquaplex parking lot and along Bearberry Creek, brought in about $9,000, said Bennett.
The proceeds raised are always reinvested in the Aquaplex, and this year’s funds will help cover the cost of installing a new waterslide that could go in before the end of August, she said.
“Everything went really well — it’s always a fun day,” she said about the fundraiser.
“We’re hoping for even more people next year.”
Changing things up a bit this year was the first-time addition of a classic car and truck show, which organizers intend to host again next year, hopefully with even more entries, she said.
There was also a barbecue put on by Assante Financial from Rocky Mountain House courtesy of Sundre’s representative Bob Hillock, she added.
The weather was great with the sun shining down, and although the day was a little windy, that just helped the ducks race along the creek — which was a bit low — a little faster, she said.
“It’s funny how some ducks find their way and some don’t. Some ducks seem to find the right channel to get to the finish line and some get caught in the grass. It’s fun for an hour to come watch them.”
After the race, volunteers diligently check the creek’s banks to recover any stragglers that got tangled up along the way, she said, adding they are all reused the following year.
There’s also a net at the finish line to capture any potential runaways and prevent them from ending up in the Red Deer River, she said.
The organizers expressed their appreciation not only to all of the volunteers and board members who helped put on the event, but also to everybody who came out to support the fundraiser and make it so successful.
The top four winners of this year’s race were as follows: Lonnie Halladay, $500; Anne Brander, $275; Muriel McCallum, who won a family 10-punch pass for the pool; and Bonnie Ferguson, who won an adult 10-punch pass.
Some people wanted to buy a duck on the day of the race, but had to be turned away since all 500 had already been sold out in advance. So Bennett encourages anyone who missed his or her chance this year not to wait until the last minute next year.
“Get your ducks early — we always like to get our ducks in a row before we put them in the water!”
