On Saturday afternoon, attendees at the annual Westbrook Together Days will be treated to a majestic view.
Those lucky enough to grab a spot by the banks of the Presumpscot at 4 p.m. will have the opportunity to see the river covered with flocks of migrating ducks.
But these aren’t just any ducks. They are special ducks, with a very short migration. The little yellow, blue and pink rubber ducks will be migrating down the river from Bridge Street to Riverbank Park as part of the third annual “Great Westbrook Duck Race.”
Sponsored by the Westbrook Chamber of Commerce, money collected from the sale of the ducks goes to help pay for next year’s Together Days. But the race is much more than a fundraiser, it’s an event that families look forward to every year. “It’s a great event, the kids absolutely love it,” said Chamber President Darryl Wright.
For just $1 per duck, anyone can buy a specially numbered duck to take a chance on winning prizes donated by local merchants. Because there are prizes for adults as well as both boys and girls, Wright said the ducks are color-coded: yellow for adults, blue for boys and pink for girls. But that isn’t strictly enforced.
“Anyone can buy any color,” Wright said with a laugh.
This year, the prizes include, a $40 gift certificate to Chicky’s Fine Diner, movie passes to the new Westbrook Cinemagic, a $25 savings bond from Maine Bank and Trust and a gift certificate from Drouin Dance Studios.
The chamber is hoping to sell a record number of ducks for the race. “We’re hoping to sell between 500 and 750 ducks at a buck a duck,” Wright said.
Wright said all new ducks have been purchased for this year’s race. But he did offer a special tip for people looking to get a leg up on the competition. “If you want to buy an experienced duck from last year’s race, it’s going to cost you $2, because they already know the route,” he joked.
The job of selling the ducks falls to volunteers on the day of the race. Kiwanis President John Bernier has sold ducks for the past two years, and he plans to be out hawking the ducks again this year.
Bernier said the key to being a successful duck salesman is not to be shy. “People can hear me from all around the park,” he said.
He also tries to tailor his pitches to the people passing by. “I have fun doing it, I try to come up with as many thoughts as I can,” he said. “The adults think I’m crazy, but the kids love it. And I think the adults love it too.”
Once the ducks are sold, the rubber flock is transported to Bridge Street for the start of the race. Unlike high stakes horse races, there are no fancy starting gates for the ducks. The ducks are just tossed in the river to ride the current. Wright said the start of the race is his favorite part. “The best part is dumping them into the river,” he said.
Mayor Bruce Chuluda said he expects the duck race to be another fun Together Days moment. “We’re looking forward to having people buy these ducks and watching them chug down the river,” he said.
Unlike some other sports where competitors will do just about anything to gain an edge, the duck race is an honest competition, Wright said. But that hasn’t stopped some athletes from trying to gain an edge. “Last year, we had a couple of ducks that cheated, they were real ducks and they tried to fly down the river,” Wright joked. “But we disqualified them for not being plastic.”
As the ducks make their way down the river, crowds start to build on the banks with people listening to the play-by-play and trying to see if their duck will be the first one to the finish line, which is manned by Boy Scouts in canoes.
“The bank is filled with people watching the ducks come down,” said Bernier. “It’s all for a great cause,” he said. “It’s a significant part of the money we raise for Together Days, and it’s increased every year. We have fun with it.”
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