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St. James City to host Great Rubber Duck Race

By Staff | Mar 2, 2009

Those looking for a high spirited, fun-filled afternoon will want to mark their calendars for the Great Rubber Duck Race to take place Saturday.
The festivities will begin at noon at Woody’s Waterside Restaurant in St. James City, where folks will gather to cheer on their favorite rubber ducky. Each of the bright yellow ducks is numbered, and those holding the tickets for the first quackers to cross the finish line will win a prize.
Tickets are available for $5 per duck or 5 for $20. They can be purchased at Woody’s or by contacting Pink Wesorick at 283-7249.
The race will take place in the Monroe Canal directly behind Woody’s and is set to commence at approximately 4 p.m.
More than 2,000 ducks will be dumped into the canal, then plucked from the water as they cross the finish line. At that time, the ducks will return to shore and the winners of the event will be announced.
The duck that crosses the finish line in first place will earn the ticket holder the grand prize, which has a value of more than $250. As many as 50 prizes will be awarded, and each gift bag presented will have a minimum value of $100.
The day will feature activities suitable for the entire family with games, raffles and auctions all to benefit the Calusa Land Trust.
Among the most popular raffles are the 50/50s, which will take place every hour on the hour throughout the afternoon. Auction items will be offered up to the highest bidders beginning at 12:30 p.m. and continue every half hour on the half hour.
Among the auction items, bidders can vie for a 21st Century custom-made kayak, an afternoon with Lee County Sheriff Mike Scott, a golf cart, a two-nights stay at the Tarpon Lodge, a two-nights stay at Tween Waters Inn, two beautiful Adirondack chairs, boat rides, a hand-crafted totem pole, a guided hog hunt, a fused glass guitar, ticket to the Florida Repertory Theater with dinner, fishing equipment and more.
Silent auction items also will be displayed during the event. Items include dozens of framed artworks from local artists, hand-carved wooden fish, metal sculptures, autographed books from local authors and many gift certificates from area merchants.
Throughout the day attendees can enjoy music provided by the island’s Frank Tuma, participate in the “Frog Game” and have their faces painted free of charge. In addition to the regular menu offered at Woody’s Waterside, attendees may purchase hamburgers and hot dogs for a reasonable donation.
One of the largest fund-raisers to support the Calusa Land Trust, proceeds from the event aide in the trust’s continued effort to purchase and preserve environmentally sensitive lands on Pine Island to hold as nature preserves in perpetuity.
For more information or to donate additional prizes, call Pink Wesorick at 283-7249 or e-mail wesorick@umich.edu. Tickets also can be purchased from Wesorick via e-mail or phone with a Mastercard or Visa.
For more information about the Calusa Land Trust, visit: calusalandtrust.org.