
Tickets are now on sale for The Great Drake Park Duck Race, marking the 32nd consecutive year of businesses and community members raising much-needed funds for local charities.
Like last year’s successful online fundraiser, the 2021 Duck Race will be virtual on Sunday, September 12. A random drawing at 2:30 p.m. that day will determine the 15 winners. The plan is to return to a live race with ducks in the river, if possible, in 2022.
Duck race raffle tickets are $5 and can be purchased online at www.theduckrace.com. Ticket sales will be promoted at First Community Credit Union, Mid Oregon Credit Union, OnPoint Community Credit Union, and SELCO Community Credit Union. Look for local Rotarians and the duck mascot out in the community promoting ticket sales throughout the summer.
Fifteen prizes valued at over $13,500 will be raffled, including the Grand Prize of $5,000 cash! Additional prizes include Hoodoo Ski Area season passes, diamond earrings from Saxon’s Fine Jewelers, a helicopter tour sponsored by Cascade Insurance Center, and more. Plus, weekly drawings will be held from July 9 to September 10 for $100 gift cards to local restaurants.
Constraints and uncertainty led to the decision to keep the race virtual this year. The online format proved highly successful last year, with $70,000 distributed to the charities. Every dollar of every ticket sold in 2020 went directly to that year’s beneficiaries, including Boys & Girls Club of Bend, Central Oregon Veterans Outreach, Family Access Network, Gift of Literacy, J Bar J Youth Services, Mountain Star, and Volunteers in Medicine.
2021 ticket sales proceeds will benefit Deschutes Children’s Foundation, J Bar J Youth Services, KIDS Center, and Mountain Star.