Thousands expected to flock to Harbor this fall for return of Rubber Duck Regatta

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ROCKWALL, TX. (June 24, 2015) Mark your calendar – the 4^th Annual Rubber Duck Regatta will be September 25 and 26 at The Harbor. Onlookers will cheer on their ducks as Lake Ray Hubbard becomes the biggest bathtub in Rockwall history.

The regatta has become a beloved community tradition benefiting the Boys & Girls Club and Meals on Wheels Senior Services of Rockwall County. Citizens purchase rubber ducks and race them down the fountain in hopes of taking home money and other prizes. Vendors set up booths, runners participate in a 5k, and companies purchase and decorate rubber ducks to be displayed in a pageant that is sure to quack everyone up.

MOWSS board member Arianna Hargrove, who is co-organizing the event along with MOWSS board VP Brenda Cross,  said this year’s event schedule is a little different.

“We are going back to the one-and-a-half day format,” Hargrove said. “The event will kick off Friday evening at 4 p.m. and includes a live concert, fireworks and of course the main attraction, the Glow-In-The-Dark Flashing Rubber Duck Race. On Saturday we get things started with the Running of the Nerds 5k and all-day vendors, a Kids Zone, Duck Beauty Pageant judging, the Corporate Duck Race and baby duck races.”

Citizens interested in participating need not get their feathers ruffled about the price—the only big bills are the ones on their duckies. Baby ducks and glow-in-the dark ducks cost only $5. Larger corporate ducks cost $100.

Hargrove said in addition to the traditional prizes awarded to the fast and the furious ducks, there will be several new prize categories as well.

Every lucky ducky knows to normally avoid the number 13. But this year, the unlucky duckies who cross the finish line in the baby duck race and the glow duck race in 13^th place will have the opportunity to win $10,000. Ducks in 1^st-12^th places will also receive great prizes.

Get ready to shake some tail feathers, because the band 205 South will be featured at the festivities Friday night. With the event still a few months away, Hargrove said she is still searching for Saturday’s perfect band.

Meals on Wheels Executive Director Margie VerHagen stressed the importance of the regatta to the community as a whole.

“MOWSS needs to raise extra funds this year because the demand for senior services continues to grow as the aging population increases,” VerHagen said. “Fortunately, the proceeds from the Duck Regatta go directly to life-sustaining services that allow seniors to remain independent in their homes for as long as safely possible. The community’s continual support for the organization enhances the quality of services that make an immediate impact in the lives of homebound seniors. ”

Hargrove explained that for her, that’s what the regatta is all about.

“It means the world to me,” Hargrove said “I am truly honored to be a part of it.  I just can’t put into words how it feels to hand over the checks to the benefiting organizations knowing what good things they are going to do with the money. It makes such a huge impact on the community.”

Hargrove asked her fellow Rockwallians to flock together in an effort to support the regatta.

“We need volunteers to help plan the event and staff the event,” Hargrove said. “We can only host a successful event with the help of community volunteers. We have lots of roles that need to be filled in order to keep the cost of the event low so that the maximum donation can be made to both the benefiting organizations.”

By Julie Anne White, Blue Ribbon News reporter. 

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