INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — Although Melissa LaPrad bought only two rubber duckies, one for each of her little boys, one of them turned out to be The Lucky Duck in Treasure Coast Community Health’s Great Duck Derby.
Dumped into the Indian River Lagoon, the yellow mob of bobbing, sunglass-wearing ducks raced feverishly toward the finish line, and LaPrad’s entry gained and maintained the lead to win her a 7-day vacation for two at the Marriott in St. Thomas, the Grand Prize.
Capt. Hiram’s was the launch site, as hundreds of Derby fans, including numerous of parents and kids, mingled with the usual Sunday crowd. The ubiquitous seagulls and pelicans took a temporary back seat to thousands of little yellow tub toys.
Ducks could be purchased solo or in groups – Duck Pals, A Quack Pack, Quackers Dozen, Flock or Golden Flock. Duck owners received little token tub ducks, and the actual “racing ducks” were placed in a giant (yellow, of course) crate that was loaded aboard a yellow Sea Tow rescue boat.
Official Quacker-in-Chief was TCCH Grant and Community Development Director Colette Heid, in motion, clip board in hand, the entire day. There was a special area offering All Things Duck – t-shirts, inflatable ducks, beach towels, necklaces, pins, duck-call quackers (favored by the little boys), soap dispensers, pens, hats, even duck “tattoos” – and several duck-themed games for kids.
Event mascot “Quackers” greeted Derby-goers, and the Lights Out Project Band kept the energy high as the crowd waited for the Duck Launch. Throughout the day drawings were held for several prizes donated by local businesses.
Area artists had whimsically decorated a dozen large rubber duckies, which were auctioned off throughout the day. Vickie Soule, in her first auctioneer gig, did a terrific job, adding nicely to the TCCH coffers.
As launch time drew near, fans gathered on the beach and along the piers. Volunteers manned two lines of roped floats extending from the Sea Tow boat, to keep the racing ducks from heading into the channel or out to sea. A semi-mighty roar rose from the crowd as the end of the crate was opened and thousands of tubby yellow racers tumbled into the lagoon. The volunteers swooshed the water along either side to keep the ducks moving along.
Owner of the third place duck, Thomas Hatfield, won $500 cash. Betty Keefer’s duck came in second and won $1,000 cash for her.
Grand prize winner LaPrad, her husband, Ryan, and their boys were in Sebastian from Atlanta to visit his parents, Dorothy and Robert LaPrad.
“We thought it’d be fun to take the boys to the Duck Derby,” she said. “This is such a surprise.”
The presenting sponsor was Dyer Auto. Other sponsors included Oculina Bank, Capt. Hirams, Bank of America, Florida Eye Institute, IRC Sheriff’s Office, New Vision Eye Center, Sebastian Chamber of Commerce, Cancer Care Center of Brevard, Crown ReMax Realty, Daley Real Estate, Passage Island Construction and Bay Street Pharmacy.
TCCH offers patient-centered home health care, its mission: To provide high-quality, cost-effective, accessible and comprehensive health care to all persons, regardless of their socio-economic circumstance.
TCCH centers are located in north and downtown Fellsmere, Central Vero Beach and on Oslo Road. For more information, call (772) 257-8224 or visit www.TCCHINC.org.
