Looking for weekend fun that fits the bill? Take a quack at the SJWC Duck Derby in Eubank

Christopher Harris, Commonwealth Journal, Somerset, Ky.
·3 min read

Aug. 29—Rubber duckie, you're the one — if you're not second or third.

That'll be the case at this Saturday's Duck Derby at Eubank City Park, the latest Somerset Junior Woman's Club (SJWC) fundraising effort that promises lots of fowl play — in the best possible way.

The 2023 Duck Derby, presented by SJWC along with the Don Franklin Somerset Family of Dealerships, officially starts at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, September 2, with an opportunity to adopt ducks and musical entertainment before the action starts about an hour later.

"We have a bunch of ducks that we're going to launch in the water and whoever has adopted the winning duck will win $500," said SJWC's Melanie King.

These are not real ducks, for the record, and neither are they technically rubber ducks, but what King described as "plastic floaty ducks."

The Eubank Fire Department will flood the creek there at the Eubank City Park and the ducks will be dropped in the water to effectively "race" to the finish line. The first three ducks over the line will win monetary prizes for the people who have claimed them.

In addition to the first place prize, second place gets $300 and third gets $100.

The event serves as a fundraiser for several different local animal-related non-profit causes — Liberty Nature Center, Somerset-Pulaski County Humane Society, and Hope for All Pets, Inc. — as well as the SJWC's own community efforts.

"We're still adopting (out) ducks," said King on Tuesday. It costs $10 to claim one of the ducks to be dropped, and you can also get a Quack Pack of six for $50, meaning you can adopt multiple ducks to put in the race.

You can go to the event Saturday morning and get your duck at shelter no. 2 at Eubank City Park, or you can adopt one or more by calling King at 606-875-8786 or through any other SJWC member, or by emailing somersetjwc@yahoo.com via PayPal.

At 10 a.m. Saturday, a short program will be held before the actual "Duck Derby," with a performance of the National Anthem and the Pledge of Allegiance, and then a selection of duck-related songs by local musician Jonathan New. Once the songs are done, the main event will begin and the ducks will begin their quest for the finish line.

"It should be fun for all ages and we encourage people to come," said King. "... It's fun for the whole family."

This isn't the first time the SJWC has held a "Duck Derby" but it's been a number of years since the last one. However, the club had been taking a gander at bringing it back and thinks that they have it down, for now and for the future.

"It's been something we've tossed around for years," said King. "We just have more members now and decided we would do it (this year). ... We hope the event will grow. Next year, we'll probably move it to spring for Derby Day. This is just our kick-off to get it going."