In less than two weeks, a giant mass of rubber ducks will team up with Q&D Construction, gathering in the back of a dump truck, and prepare to dive into the Truckee River for the biggest race of their lives — the race to save lives of homeless pets.
It’s all happening at Nevada Humane Society’s Duck Race & Festival on Sunday, Aug. 21 at Wingfield Park in Reno. All proceeds will go to homeless pets via the Nevada Humane Society in Carson City and Reno.
Although the ducks are racing to support the Humane Society, the day offers more than just the duck contest. There will be food trucks, live music, vendors, pet adoptions, face painting, a carnival and duckie corn hole.
From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. the ducks, along with thousands of locals, will take over Wingfield Park. The ducks race at 4 p.m. as they are dumped from a Q&D Construction truck off the Arlington Bridge into the Truckee.
The fastest ducks win prizes — the grand prize being a 2016 Toyota Corolla donated by Dick Campagni’s Carson City Toyota. Other prizes include a Las Vegas vacation, dining extravaganza and a ride in the Great Reno Balloon Race.
The Humane Society is hoping to reach its goal of adopting 30,000 rubber ducks by race time.
To get involved, adopt one or more ducks for $5 each. Then join Nevada Humane Society at the festival and cheer on your duck when it hits the water. Winners don’t need to be present.
To adopt a duck, go to the Humane Society in Carson City or Reno, or call 775-856-2000, ext. 324 or 335.
Additionally, Mellow Fellow GastroPub in downtown Reno, across from Greater Nevada Field, is donating proceeds from its Duck Tail Ale, a beer designed for the Duck Race & Festival, to the Humane Society.
For more information about the festival, go to https://www.duckrace.com/reno.