The raffle tickets read, “Rain or Shine,” and for a few minutes on Sunday, May 20, there were dark clouds and thunder that would have suggested very heavy rain was just about to test that promise.

But, as if on cue, the sky cleared just in time for Winslow Therapeutic Center’s 28th annual Duck Derby

Weekend visitors and newcomers could understandably be excused for wondering why hundreds of adults and children came out to crowd the bridges or run along the banks of Wawayanda Creek in the downtown area of the village.

4,000 rubber ducks, $20,000 green dollars

Besides the fact that the Farmers Market in the South Street Parking lot was in full swing, many of those visitors and other onlookers had “adopted” one or more of 4,000 rubber ducks in the race, each bearing the number that corresponds with the $5 ticket they purchased.

Winslow, a non-profit organization accredited by the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association, shared half of the proceeds of $20,000 from the popular event with 20 non-profit organizations who helped market the tickets.

Before the start of the Duck Derby organizers and volunteers waited by a spot on the South Street Bridge where at 1:30 p.m. they launched all the rubber ducks they had placed in a large tarp.

Volunteers then captured the winning ducks at a finish line net placed just beyond the Main Street Bridge.

Eight prizes, most donated locallyThe numbers on the first eight ducks to hit the net were then matched with the names and addresses of the lucky ticket holders, which were announced shortly after the race.

Most of the eight valuable prizes were merchandise or services donated by local businesses or individuals.

The first place prize of $1,000, sponsored by CLC Transportation in Mt. Kisco, was won by Emma Krish, second-place prize winner Haggie Palmeri of Warwick won an HP Laptop Computer courtesy of Vogel & Moore Insurance Agency and the third-place prize, a $250 Home Depot Gift Card, went to Sheila Stamboni of Brookfield, Connecticut.

Winslow is already gearing up for next year’s Duck Derby and invites any organization leaders who would like to participate to call 986-6686.

Article by Roger Gavan, posted on the Warwick Advertiser, May 22, 2018.