A few of the more than 600 ducks get stuck along the rocks at the Duck Races at Lampe Park Sunday. Proceeds for the race went to the Food Closet. Photo by Brian Corley
Gardnerville -- More than seven hundred finely-tuned -- or at least brightly-colored -- competitors raced to the finish Sunday in a rubber ducky extravaganza at Lampe Park that netted nearly $8,000 for the Carson Valley Community Food Closet.
"We sold out of ducks," said an astonished Food Closet board member Marilyn Malkmus. "I can't believe it, it's the first year we've been sold out."
In its tenth year, The Wacky Waddler Wiver Wace featured three races.
In the Business Race 70 ducks were in a row, the Club/Organizations Race had 23 ducks in a row and the General Race lined up a creek-clogging 620 yellow duckies meandering to the finish line.
The General Race, the biggest race of the day, had six men carrying the duck-loaded tarp to the water.
About half a dozen live ducks, not sure what to make of the onslaught of rubber kin, blocked the route a bit before taking off for higher ground.
Scores of onlookers followed the winding nearly quarter mile route to the finish.
One likened the moving crowd to a thundering herd.
First place went to duck 311 who won the General heat in a narrow finish.
A lucky Ray Knutson won a glider ride. Second place, an M.S. Dixie dinner cruise, went to Gerald Guile and Taryn Allmett gets a trip to Wild Island in Sparks for the third place finish.
Of course, someone has to be the very last duck to cross the finish line.
About 15 minutes into the race, that last duck made its way into the catchers net.
Jan Jones with duck 919 won 18 holes of golf at the Carson Valley Golf Course.
All prizes were donated by each business and the ducks were donated by Gardnerville Pool and Spas.
"This was a success," Malkmus said cheerily.