Michael Koehn
Special to the Sun

Everyone’s favorite bath toy made a big splash last Saturday at the 21st annual Rubber Duck Races sponsored by the Kern Valley Exchange Club.

The event, one of the valley’s most popular community gatherings, was held at Riverside Park in Kernville. The day-long festivities featured of series of rubber duck races down the Kern River through the park as part of a benefit for local schools and abused children. Also included in the action were a dunk tank and a series of activities for little ones including a magic castle bounce house, a mini putting green, and a kiddie duck “pond” where youngsters had fun with their own rubber duckies. Plenty of food and refreshments were also on hand, including soft drinks, cotton candy, popcorn and hot dogs, as well as a lunch of deep pit BBQ beef, homemade beans and potato salad. Music and occasional “quacks” from Ron Smith’s duck calls added to the festive atmosphere.

Elaine Roach corrals a few wayward ducks that lost their way and needed redirecting back to the watery race course in Saturday’s 21st Annual Rubber Duck Race at Riverside Park in Kernville.

For the main event, competitors paid a $25 contribution per duck or $100 for a family of five, and the entry fee also included two tickets for lunch. All heats were sold out by race time.

Ducks for each heat were ceremoniously dumped off the Kernville Bridge in 10 heats of 100 ducks each. The ducks then “raced,” bobbing along in the current until they reached the finish line at the end of the park. Ducks that placed were paid $75, $50, and $25 each for first through third finishes, respectively. Winners from each heat were also collected in a high stakes main event race, with 30 ducks shooting the riffles for prizes. First place winner Letty Hernandez took home $1000, 2nd place went to Rod and Vickie Middleworth and they bagged $500, while Isabella Motors won $250.

Rounding out the slate of events was the “Lame Duck 50-50”, “Odd Duck 50-50” race (featuring celebrity quack lookalikes) where winning purses were split with the club, and the Losers Race (a consolation race for last place ducks.) Jan Morris’ victory in the Lame Duck race netted him $660. Odd Duck Races paid $650 for each winner; 1st place went to Fran "Grouch" Manbeck racing "Betty Boop"; 2nd place was Ron DeBrum, racing Blues Brother's "Elwood" and 3rd place went to Dino Good, racing "Laurel" of Laurel & Hardy. In the Losers Race, Ray Oats bagged $200.

Big winners also included raffle entrants who took home prizes. Charles Clark won a Westinghouse 32-inch flat screen TV and Katy King won a Toshiba laptop computer.

Members of the Exchange Club spent about six weeks organizing this year’s Rubber Duck races. “This is really all about raising money for the local schools and abused children,” said Exchange Club volunteer Joe Ciriello. “The club members even pay for their own lunch, so we contribute as much money as possible to the kids for scholarships, equipment for schools and supporting other needs for children. We’ll raise over $20,000 this year.”

Money was also raised through the sales of souvenir hats, visors and T-shirts, and rubber ducky-themed items like plush toys and flashlights.

The Kern Valley Exchange Club is a local service organization that meets every Thursday at the Paradise Cove restaurant in support of local community needs. They are involved in programs that include preventing child and senior abuse, honoring law enforcement officers, contributions for scholarships and education, and a Excel Club (Junior Exchange club at Kern Valley High School.) For more information on the club call Ron Smith at 376-4790 or Marsha Smith at 379-3667 ext. 15.