Features

Quack Quack, It's Back: Great Pootatuck Duck Race Returns For 20th Offering

By Alissa Silber

Published: Sep 10, 2021 8:00 am

The Great Pootatuck Duck Race, hosted by Newtown Lions Club, took place on September 4, kicking off Labor Day weekend. The annual event was canceled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but it returned in 2021 for its 20th outing.

This year there were activities for for all ages to enjoy, vendors, local organizations, and live entertainment volunteered by Unclaimed Baggage Band, Ashurst Academy of Irish Dance, and Lathrop School of Dance.

Duck Race Committee member Neil Randle helped run the ticket booth on the sidewalk of Sandy Hook center and told The Newtown Bee that “It’s wonderful to be back.”

He explained that the rainfall from Hurricane Ida caused the Pootatuck River’s water to be above waist level, which is much higher than usual. In addition, the storm also knocked a large tree into the river making the area unpassable for floating race ducks.

With those factors in mind, the Lions Club made the difficult decision that for the safety of their river crew who go in to collect the ducks and for the fairness of the race itself, the traditional duck dump off the bridge would not be taking place.

Instead, Duck Race Committee Chairman Bob Schmidt and his wife Josie, as well as Chief River Engineer Doug Body, helped First Selectmen Dan Rosenthal select the winning duck race tickets from the stage platform near the river.

The Newtown Lions Club sold a total of 2,906 tickets with 577 of those tickets being sold specifically at the event on Saturday.

Between selecting winning tickets, Rosenthal told those crowd that the Newtown Lions Club is a “wonderful organization” that has been helping Newtown beyond its time with the duck race. He also took time to thank the many businesses that participated in donating prizes for the event, who do so "not because that have to, but because they care about the community."

After drawing the last winner’s name, Rosenthal concluded the event saying, “Congratulations to all the winners and my thanks to the Lions Club for all you do.”

Duck Race Winners

The 2021 Newtown Lions Club Duck Race list of prizes and winners are as follows: a $2,000 check to ticket #1025, Jillian Hoag; $500 gift card for a weekend getaway to ticket #2421, Donna D’alessandro; Three Porco Karate Academy one month memberships gift cards to ticket #2086, Mark Scibck; $159 value NYA gift card to ticket #2827, Nancy Morse; $100 Sal e Pepe gift card and $20 Burgerittoville gift card to ticket #0112, Linda Laurenco; $100 Farmhouse Gift Card and $20 Burgerittoville gift card to ticket #2416, Donna Linnetz; $100 Pizza Palace gift card and $20 Sandy Hook Diner gift card to ticket #0239, Amanda Leone; $50 Big Y gift card and $50 Superior Cleaners gift card to ticket #2039, Jacqui Kling. Also, a $75 Figs Restaurant gift card and $20 Sandy Hook Diner gift card to ticket #1529, Jill Beaudry; $75 Sabrina Style gift card and $20 Fun Kuts gift card to ticket #2841, Wanda McGavry; $50 Cover Two Grill gift card and $30 Ten Edmond Town Hall movie passes to ticket #1726, Ben Schaedler; $50 Lucas Local gift card and $25 Barnwood Grill gift card to ticket #1127, Kallie Carroll; $50 The Villa gift card and $25 Nouveau Monde Wine Bar gift card to ticket #0572, Caitlyn Garvy; $50 My Place gift card and $25 Toy Tree gift card to ticket #1296, Walt Schweikert. Also, a $50 Tambascio’s gift card and $25 Blue Colony Diner gift card to ticket #0802, Bill Brett; $50 Nassar’s Hair Salon gift card and $25 Carminuccios gift card to ticket #0679, name not listed; two $25 Marketplace gift cards to ticket #1370, Dr Ratna Vedullapalli; one year subscription to The Newtown Bee to ticket #1244, Cindy Curtiss; two tickets to the Little Theater ticket #3054, Rachel Mele; and $40 Berkshire Motors gift card to ticket #3000, Jen Rogers.

Chairman Schmidt shared in a statement on September 7 that "Even though Hurricane Ida forced the ducks to stay out of the river at the last minute, we expect our profit to be almost $11,000 after all the expenses. That money will all go into our charities budget, so we can help the local charities more than last year."

=====

Reporter Alissa Silber can be reached at alissa@thebee.com.

Duck Race Committee Chairman Bob Schmidt stirs ticket entries with a paddle as First Selectmen Dan Rosenthal addresses the crowd and Chief River Engineer Doug Body stands nearby. —Bee Photos, Silber

Duck Race Committee members Bruce Walczak and Katherine Simpson sell commemorative yellow duckies to young Victoria and Mackenzie, seen with their mom Meagan Warnock.

Five-year-old triplets, from left, Olivia, Alexander, and Abigail Romanino hold up their freshly splattered spin-art creations that they made at the Great Pootatuck Duck Race.

Dancers from Ashurst Academy of Irish Dance in Newtown leap into the air while doing a routine for the crowd at the 20th Great Pootatuck Duck Race.

Joyce Goldin, seated, helps run the Friends of Newtown Seniors (FONS) tent at the Great Pootatuck Duck Race on September 4.

Craig Ashurst, owner of Ashurst Academy of Irish Dance, took time after his group of dancers performed at the Great Pootatuck Duck Race to walk around the event with his young daughter Aviella.

Pictured from left is Nancy Ballwig with Karina in a stroller and Kathy Rafael with Maddy and D.J. in a double stroller on their way to the Newtown Lions Club Great Pootatuck Duck Race on Saturday, September 4.

Alyza Buchard, 5, has a look of determination as she travels down the inflatable slide at the Great Pootatuck Duck Race on September 4.

Seated from left are Great Pootatuck Duck Race Committee Members Neil Randle and Michael Dinho selling tickets on Saturday, September 4.

Gabriel Wolk and Stella Viekert, both 4, have their own mini-duck race by blowing air into straws to make their rubber duckies swim to the end of the plastic container.

Heather McKeown, of Lathrop School of Dance, has an impromptu dance with 15-month-old Sophie Porco at the 20th Great Pootatuck Duck Race on September 4.

Great Pootatuck Duck Race signs lined the sidewalks in Sandy Hook Center to beckon guests to the beloved event.

Evensong Service Celebrated With Choral Society At Trinity Church

Author Leslie Connor Visits Reed Intermediate School

Newtown Bridle Lands Association Holds Jingle Bell Ride

NHS Dance Team Ready To Go For More Championships

BOE Listens To Fall Sports Update At Meeting

Half right. The other half wrong (and left).

Why Gun Violence Is Higher In The US

I want to clarify something that was not clear in my letter. Newtown DOES have an affordable housing plan, put together with the aid of the Council of Governments (COG) in 2022 and approved by the LC that year. The strategies in that plan are to "encourage", "support", "explore", "promote" various aspects of state and local affordable housing programs. Those strategies are largely repeated in the Housing Chapter of the Plan of Conservation and Development being finalized now. Newtown needs to measure its performance against those strategies and refine them to reflect the current situation and evaluate whether we are eligible for a moratorium on 8-30(g) projects if we have met the criteria. It's a question of being more specific and more rigorous in what we as a community would like to see to address this real and serious need, rather than to be on our heels when a developer proposes a project on their terms. An independent look outside the application process would be best for that. Thank you. Peter.

Discusses Affordable Housing

I on Glover Ave. walk my two Labs every morning and evening. Drivers are constantly cutting me off at the shopping center entrance and other driveways. There is no understanding of pedestrians rights. Drives make left turns onto Queen when its forbidden. Most cars cruse right thru the crosswalks without stopping for pedestrians. The Police have not issued one citation nor even a warming for crosswalk violations. The situation is out of control and now a loved resident, Pete, and a pet, Coby have been killed. Time for a plan. The problem is not Intersections, nor traffic, the problem 98s drivers and lack of enforcement. The plan need to create a culture that drivers obey speed limits and honor pedestrians right of ways. Isn't that the job of the Police Department and The Police Commission, to protect Newtowns citizens. This is a call to action.

Unidentified Driver Sought After Fatally Striking Dog And Leaving Scene

Its already too late, the Nimby mob have scared developers so that their only option is to use the state wide 8-30 exemption to get around the local zoning board. Thanks Nimby mob.

Backs Moratorium On Dense Development Applications

Ya gotta pay more to live in a Blue state and subsidize the 'affordable' folks.

<< Dec 2024 >>
S	M	T	W	T	F	S
1	2	3	4	5	6	7
8	9	10	11	12	13	14
15	16	17	18	19	20	21
22	23	24	25	26	27	28
29	30	31	1	2	3	4

Log In

Quack Quack, It's Back: Great Pootatuck Duck Race Returns For 20th Offering

Leave a Reply Cancel reply