Rubber duckies, you're the ones for fundraising - Local Highlight ...

Twelve thousand yellow rubber ducks fell out of the sky Saturday afternoon and into the Deschutes River as part of the Great Deschutes Duck Dash, an annual event in its 22nd year that acts as Lacey Rotary’s largest fundraiser.

The festivities at Tumwater Falls Park started at 11 a.m., but the highlight, the Duck Dash, didn’t start until 4 p.m. By then, several thousand people had gathered and lined the shores of the river to watch the ducks fly through the sky and float down the river. A crane on the Boston Street bridge suspended a large box over the river, then an air horn signaled the start of the race, and the box fell open. Rotarians, armed with fishing nets along the river, retrieved the ducks as they came floating by.

Lacey Rotary International, a service club, raises money by “selling” the ducks for $5. Although not all 12,000 ducks are sold for the race, the club did sell 9,563 this year. The first 15 paid ducks to cross the finish line, which are identified by a number, qualify for prizes.

More…