Duck Race Day 2010 Is Fast Approaching

May 29 is a special day for area residents: The 10th Annual Great Pootatuck Duck Race will be held in Sandy Hook.

Each Memorial Day weekend since 2001, well over 1,000 people in the greater Danbury area have attended and enjoyed the festivities hosted by Newtown Lions Club in the park area at 3-5 Glen Road in Sandy Hook Center. When children (of all ages) see more than 3,000 numbered rubber ducks being dumped into the Pootatuck River, there is pure excitement in the air.

As they float to the finish line at the walking bridge that connects Dayton Street and Glen Road, the ducks create more anticipation for those watching from the riverbanks, who hope that “their” duck is among the first to cross the finish line.

The purchase of a $5 raffle ticket brings a chance to win one of 20 prizes. First prize this year is a check for $2,000. Second prize is an excursion to New York City, valued at $700, which includes tickets to a Broadway show, dinner, and a hotel room for an evening.

Third prize is an Apple iPod valued at $300, and prizes generously donated by local merchants, businesses, and restaurants will also go to those whose tickets correspond with the next 17 ducks that cross the finish line Saturday afternoon.

The Great Pootatuck Duck Race will run from 10 am to 3 pm, with plenty to do before the ducks are dropped into the river at 2. Nearly 40 businesses and nonprofit organizations will have tents and tables set up in the park. Among the participants this year are Andrea’s Bakery, Canine Advocates of Newtown, The Children’s Adventure Center (with special guest the Sandy Hook artist Glen River), Clean Energy Task Force, the Democratic and Republican Town Committees, Home Instead Senior Care, Kevin’s Community Center, Leaps of Faith Water Ski Club, Newtown Conservation Commission, Newtown Forest Association, Newtown Health District, Newtown High School girls’ tennis team, Newtown Historical Society, and Newtown Volunteer Ambulance Corps.

Also participating will be Newtown Underwater Search And Rescue (NUSAR), Newtown Youth & Family Services, Popovich Chiropractic, Relay For Life of Newtown, Senior Helpers, The Town & Country Garden Club of Newtown, Visiting Nurses Association-Newtown, and Women Involved in Newtown.

Live entertainment will include face painters and a roaming magician. Students from The Graceful Planet, Lathrop School of Dance, The Moon Jumpers, and Porco Karate Academy will also be featuring during the festival, and Lions Club member and Duck Race Chairman Bob Schmidt will again serve as the day’s emcee.

Children will be invited to explore one of the trucks and meet members of Sandy Hook Volunteer Fire & Rescue Co., and residents of a local llama farm will also be on hand. A tug-of-war will have host group Newtown Lions Club facing off against Rotary Club of Newtown.

Finally, Newtown High School student Paige Olson, the reigning Miss Teen Connecticut, will act as a greeter for the Lions. She will be accompanied by Ashley Bickford of Torrington, the current Miss Connecticut USA.

Duck race raffle tickets will be available the day of the race, but advance purchase is strongly suggested because there are a limited number available. Tickets are available at Bagel Delight, Berkshire Motors, Blue Z Coffeehouse, C.H. Booth Library, Dodgingtown Liquor, Dodgingtown Market, Drug Center Pharmacy, Fun Cuts, Katherine’s Kitchen, Mocha Coffee House, Newtown Deli & Catering, Sandy Hook Diner, Sandy Hook Hair Co., Stop & Save Liquors, Village Barber Shop, Yankee Discount Liquors, and Your Healthy Pet.

Newtown Lions Club members are also selling tickets each Saturday and Sunday around town, usually in two or three locations during the early morning until late afternoon.

Proceeds from the duck race will be used by Newtown Lions Club in its continued supports of local, state, national, and international charities. More than 70 percent of the money raised by the local club goes to 40 local charities. Newtown Lions Club, chartered in 1949, has always been committed to supporting organizations whose main goal is eye care and blindness prevention, along with relief donations following disasters.