CAMBRIDGE — The Rotary Club of Cambridge, Rescue Fire Company and Cambridge Main Street held their first Duck Race Festival on Saturday, Sept. 25 on the berm at the Sailwinds Visitor Center.

With approximately 150-200 volunteers and guests in attendance, viewers watched 3000 rubber ducks flow down the flume built by the group, in 6 heats with a final for the prize money. Winners of the top 4 prizes were 1st Lacie Prahl, 2nd Pat Campbell-White, 3rd Laura King and 4th Susan Meredith.

Along with the seven races, guests were able to enjoy music by Ellie Guzman and Rachel Bailey of Mike Elzey’s Music Studio. Children, also, were able to enjoy a bouncy house and basketball along with visitors from the Salisbury Zoo who brought an owl and snake for people to see. Kona Ice was a hit for hit for all on the beautiful sunny day. All this happening while Rescue Fire Company cooked hot dogs and hamburgers for all.

On Friday, members of each of the groups along with volunteers from Vision Quest set up the flume and gave it a couple of test runs to make sure it was working. Steve Edger provided 110 bales of straw for the walls with Ace Hardware donating 3 rolls of plastic to make the flume. Tractor Supply, also, contributed with brooms and landscaping pins to secure the plastic and to assure the ducks moved.

Saturday’s activities started with final set up, assignment of tasks and instructions. On hand to help were students from North Dorchester High School’s Key Club: Curstin Carpenter, Ava Collins and Karis Diggs; Cambridge South Dorchester High School Interact and Honor Society: Alexia Bair, Gabe Smith, Sam Shifler, John Condon and Deen Wright; and James Wooten a student at Salisbury Christian School. An honored guest at the Race was Miss Outdoors Kyla Diggs. Kyla added a special touch to the event as she wore her Crown while catching the ducks in a milk crate.

A group of businesses stepped up as sponsors to help the Duck Race Festival financially successful. The business sponsors were the following levels:
Canvasback $1000 - Jess Jr and Sons and Rexnord/Cambridge International; Mallard $500 – Portside Restaurant and Craig’s Pharmacy; Teal $250 – Bay Country Security, Megan Holotik State Farm and Wood Duck $100 – M & T Bank, Thomas Funeral Home, Jones Mini Mart, Mount Holly Heat and Air, Best Buy Supply Inc, Glenn Ruark Builders, Bay Country Bakery, William T Hunt Insurance, David Willey Welding, Inc, Simmons Center Market, R Brooks and Son, Amy Craig, United Way of the Lower Eastern Shore, Free Spirit Threads – Victoria Swann, Harrington and Merryweather, Dr William Bair, LLC, Newcomb Collins Funeral Home, Michele Barnes Attorney and Cambridge City Economic Development Director Carol Richardson.

A special thanks to the Dick Wilcher of the Mt Airy Rotary Club for his guidance before the event and on the day of the race, loaning of 3100 rubber ducks and the use of the 8 feet tall inflatable duck on the top of the berm. And thanks to the community for the support of the event helping the 3 groups to be able to continue our community service projects.