May 4, 2013

Ten. Nine. Eight. Seven...And then, with a drop from a giant bucket, thousands of little yellow rubber ducks are ceremoniously dropped into Fall River at Nicky's Resort where they begin their journey to Riverside Plaza in downtown Estes Park. The ducks are scooped out of the water one-by-one by waiting volunteers. It's all part of the benefit Estes Park Duck Race.

Hundreds of visitors have learned how simple the Duck Race is. You "adopt" little rubber duckies and select one of nearly 70 different Estes Valley charities to benefit from your adoptions. These charities will receive 95% of the money collected from adoptions. The more ducks adopted for a particular charity, the more money that individual charity receives.

But that's not all! Due to the amazing generosity of major sponsors and local area merchants, there are prizes galore for hundreds of entries. If your little ducky is one of the lucky winners as it crosses the finish line, you might win a prize. It's a fun family outing with lots of music and entertainment as well.

Race festivities get underway at Nicky's Resort at 11 a.m. on race day. Ducks go into the water at 1 p.m. and activities continue in Riverside Plaza until the last duck swims past the finish line.

As a bonus for the Duck Race weekend, merchants in downtown Estes Park set up tables outside their businesses for the annual spring sidewalk sale.