ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
September is just around the corner, which means it will soon be time for the annual Duck Race Festival.
This year's Duck Race Festival will be Saturday, Sept. 27 at Light Park, with everything beginning at 10 a.m. and the duck race itself starting at 2 p.m., with the day ending at around 2:30 p.m. Ducks are available for adoption at the Chamber of Commerce office and any business with a 'Ducks Sold Here' sign, and like every year, people can adopt individual ducks for $10 each, or they can adopt a 6-Quack for $50 or a Lucky Pack of 13 ducks for $100. The total prize money will be $10,000 (1st place = $5,000; 2nd place = $2,000; 3rd place = $1,000; 4th place = $500; 5th place = $400; 6th place = $300; 7th place = $200; 8th place = $100; and Lucky Duck = $500). Like every year, Chamber of Commerce ambassadors and board members will all have ducks for adoption, so people can get in touch with them if they are interested in having ducks in the race, and ducks will also be available for adoption the day of the event until about 1 p.m.
“We'll also have our big duck out across the street from Adventure Bay Water Park starting in early September, and people will be able to adopt ducks there too. The Corporate Trike Races will also be happening this year, and anyone who wants to put together a team of four can sign up, and teams can sign up the day of the festival,” Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Rozelle Webb said. “There will be bounce houses and there will also be many business booths featuring lots of duck-themed games and other activities, and anyone interested in having a booth can contact the Liberal Chamber of Commerce office at (620) 624-3855. Another big attraction will be the United Way Chili and Taco Cookoff from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. that, and we thank the Seward County United Way for sponsoring that, I know they're putting in a lot of work for that already, and anyone interested in participating in that would need to call that office at (620) 624-5400, and they'll guide you in signing up for that. The United Way will also be having its Jeep raffle that day and is inviting local Jeep owners to bring them to the park for a small car show.”
Webb said there is a lot to be excited for with this year’s event.
“We're excited for the Jeep show that will be going on, and there will also be an Liberal High School class reunion that will be going on that weekend, so that should also be neat to see. We're expecting a big crowd again and I always love seeing the children running around and playing all the games and around the park,” Webb said. “There will also be a duck scavenger hunt at the Farmers Market that will be happening from 8 to 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 20, and I think that should also be really fun.”
Webb added the Duck Race Festival is also a great opportunity for local businesses and groups.
“Having a booth is a great chance to get acquainted with people in town and give them a peek at your business. The Duck Race Festival is a great way to let hundreds of people know about what you do, and it's a great way to get all of those people 'through the doors,' so to speak in just one spot,” Webb said. “Or, if you're updating something with your business and would like people to know about that, or if you've got upcoming specials/sales, or if you're looking for employees, having a business booth at the Duck Race Festival is a great way to advertise yourself. The businesses also usually come up with some fun duck-themed game to draw people in, and that usually does help. Any business wanting to set up a booth for that day just needs to get in touch with the Chamber of Commerce office at (620) 624-3855 and let us know your plan.”
Webb said she hopes to see many ducks get adopted for this year’s race.
“The race is always really fun to be part of, and it's exciting to watch the race and see if your duck wins. It's great seeing everyone lined up by Ducky Downs watching the race and cheering on their duck(s), especially the children,” Webb said. “I would encourage everyone to adopt a duck because we don't want to leave anyone out and as I say with every Duck Race Festival, if you DON'T adopt a duck, you have NO chance of any of the prize money. It's just a fun event to participate in, and I know a bunch of people who are excited every year to see if their duck ultimately swims the fastest toward the finish line. I always enjoy watching the corporate trike races, we see a lot of great teams every year, and it's just a lot of fun watching everyone try and work those bikes and participate. It's just always a lot of fun watching everyone interact and have fun with each other. Any business or group that would like to put together a team, we'd love to see you out there, and that race will be at 12 p.m. that day.”
This will be the 24th running of the race, and Webb said she is excited to have met such a milestone.
“I was in on the first one, and I've loved seeing it grow and grow as time has gone on. It's exciting to have people come out and enjoy themselves for a Saturday at the park, and I love seeing people enjoy the fun atmosphere,” Webb said. “We're really happy with how much we've grown, and I wouldn't have thought that possible when this event started. We're so happy with Light Park, it's a great space and gives us room to expand in the future if that becomes necessary. The city crews also keep the park cleaned up and really nice-looking, and I can't say enough for everything they do for us when we set everything up.”
As of Aug. 11, sponsors for this year’s event are Bank of the Plains, Black Hills Energy, Chrysler Corner, EPICTouch, Equity Bank, Fairfield Inn & Suites, Heifer Source, IdeaTek, Invenergy, Jones Monument, KSCB Radio, the Leader & Times, Mosaic, Seaboard Foods, Sunflower Bank, Versus Signs, CrossPoint Church Liberal, Farm Bureau Financial Services – Dandi Amerin, Farmers Insurance – Candi Prater, Golden Plains Credit Union, Horizon Stone & Cabinets, Iron Insurance Partners, Lewis Chevrolet of Liberal, New Beginnings Church, Salco Truck & Trailer Repair, Scantlin's Furniture & Carpet, Southern Pioneer Electric Company, Southwest Medical Center, State Farm Insurance – Crystal Kinsinger, Brick House Barbecue & Brew, Brown's Shoe Fit, Carniceria La Canasta, Dreamz Childcare Center, Electric Motor Service, La Mexicana Radio, Mead Lumber of Liberal, National Beef Packing Company, Southern Office Supply, and Community Bank.
With the success of last year’s Duck Race Festival, Webb said she hopes for another successful event.
“Last year was great for the Duck Race Festival – the weather was amazing and we had a really big crowd of people come out, and we also had a lot of vendor booths. I hope to see even more people this year, I've heard quite a few people already say they’ll be adopting ducks, so I think we'll have a good crowd again this time around,” Webb said. “If you want any chance at all of being one of the winners, get yourself out and adopt a duck, because again, if you don't do that, you can't win. We hope everyone marks their calendars for Sept. 27, because it should be a great day!”
