A swarm of yellow rubber ducks raced down the Skeena River for Terrace Rotary’s annual Wild Duck Race.
People lined up along the bridge between Ferry Island and Walmart to watch as a helicopter unleashed thousands of the rubber ducks into the river Aug. 5. Duck recovery crews were stationed farther down, ready to scoop up the first duck across the line.
Mark Ignas from Prince Rupert was this year’s lucky ticket holder, winning the grand prize of $25,000. Rotarian Brian Downie called Ignas to tell him the good news.
“Oh you’re kidding me Brian,” Ignas said over the phone. “That’s insane!”
READ MORE: Sold out Wild Duck Race raises more than $40,000 for Rotary
Craig and Loralee Sears from Terrace came in second and won a half-hour helicopter ride.
Linda Palagian from Terrace won a 65-inch Sharp TV in third.
Terrace’s Marian Ward placed fourth and won a $500 Canadian Tire gift card.
Tickets were close to sold-out this year with around 3,500 ducks, raising a little more than $40,000, Downie says. The money goes right back into the community through Rotary projects like the Splash Park and other Terrace organizations.
While most ducks make it down to the recovery boats where volunteers scoop them up, some get stuck along the banks of the Skeena River. Some spectators made their way down to the river to help dislodged any stranded yellow ducks, including Ted Wilson and his dog, who made quite the retrieval team.
brittany@terracestandard.com
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