Maplewood Hosts 17th Annual Rubber Duck Race

(Photo by Claire Gianni Sinclair)

The South Orange & Maplewood Kiwanis club, in conjunction with the South Mountain YMCA held their 17^th Annual Rubber Duck Race in Maplewood, NJ on Monday.

The community group has held the event every Memorial Day in the brook running through Memorial Park in Maplewood since 1998. The event is run similar to a raffle, where many members of the community were able to sponsor a duck by purchasing a ticket for a five dollar donation. The ticket has a number that corresponds to a number written on the rubber duck racer.

As the 700 ducks were dumped into the brook, in each of the six races, the crowd watched and cheered on their duck. The first 12 or 13 ducks that crossed the finish line in each race won a prize for person that had the ticket associated with that duck. The prizes were provided by many of the local businesses and merchants.

The proceeds from the event over the past 17 years have gone help the South Orange & Maplewood Kiwanis raise major part of the donations they make towards their local charities, most of which benefit children’s organizations. The South Mountain YMCA joined on in the effort the past two years, to help in lending more volunteer support.

The local YMCA and Youth Consultation Services of New Jersey continue to be two of the many charitable organizations that the Kiwanis club helps to support with the monies raised from the Duck Race each year. Each year the whole community always has looked forward to cheering on their rubber ducks.

(Photo by Claire Gianni Sinclair)