For the novice who may not have been following the Arnprior Rotary Club’s Canada Day Mad Duck Race since its beginnings in 2010, Rotarian Rod Smith give a quick recap of the drill.
And those ducks were… First prize, with Duck #303, Stephan Lajoie winning $1500
Second Prize, with Duck 965, Joyce Murray, claiming $1000
Third Prize, with Duck # 254, Chris Swaffield wins $500
The rest of the 1500 ducks try their best to escape- or so it may seem.
Rod Smith says the 2023 Mad Duck Race was complicated by serious weather that hit mid-race.
When we spoke with Smith pre-race there was a strong wind that eased up during the actual event.
This year Ottawa Valley Air Paddle equipped the kayak duck retrieval crew.
The actual Mad Duck Race, from the weir to the booms takes twenty minutes or less, but retrieving the ducks from the Madawaska, an hour or more.
Some of the Rotarians at the event were landlubbers, including Statistician Gerhard Peters- he was the one in the rubber duck hat.
Peters says if you missed out on having a duck in this year’s race, the rule of thumb is get your tickets early.
Rotarian Gerhard Peters says after the 2500 dollars in prize money is subtracted, proceeds are devoted to the club’s community projects.
By Rick Stow