IDAHO FALLS — It’s time to start quacking. The Idaho Falls Rotary Club officially kicked off another duck race season Wednesday.
“We are very excited. This will be a good year,” duck race committee spokesman Kevin Call said.
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Great Snake River Greenbelt Duck Race, which will be held on Aug. 14. Last year, the duck race was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We are going to be bigger and better this year,” Call said.
The Rotary Club announced two big prizes for this year’s winners. Firefighters from Idaho Falls introduced the prizes by driving into the parking lot at The Waterfront at Snake River Landing with their sirens on. The grand prize winner will receive a 2014 Jeep Rubicon, donated by Idaho Falls Cars and Trucks. The first prize winner will get a 2021 Polaris Sportsman HD 4 Wheeler donated by Idaho Central Credit Union.
Several other prizes include $1,000 in fuel donated by KJ’s Super Stores; two 2022 Season Golf Passes donated by the City of Idaho Falls with a $1,800 value; and two ski passes plus overnight lodging, donated by Grand Targhee Resort, which is a $1000 value.
The rubber ducks are given numbers, which lets participants adopt a rubber duck for a small amount of money. The ducks are dropped into the Snake River for the race. The more ducks you adopt, the better your chance of winning a prize.
So far, Call says more than $5.5 million has been raised in the past 30 years for the duck race, which includes matching funds from the City of Idaho Falls. The money from this year’s event will go toward improvements for Heritage Park.
Rubber ducks can be adopted online for the Great Snake River Greenbelt Duck Race. Rubber ducks can also be bought at Idaho Falls Cars and Trucks, any Idaho Central Credit Union in Idaho Falls, Albertsons, Sam’s Club, and the Farmer’s Market. Ducks can also be bought on the day of the event.
