The 25th annual Lexington Duck Derby splashed its way to victory this past weekend, collecting $37,000 for various Lexington charities and providing an entertaining day for all too. The now annual tradition for the city of Lexington involved thousands of rubber ducks racing down a specific waterway, all of which were sponsored by people of the town and companies.

The Duck Derby which took place at the beautiful site of the Jacobson Park this year experienced a high turn up in that people both participating in it and those watching from the stand. Families, friends, and local organizations sat on the sides of the lake, watching, and shouting to their own specially painted and chosen ducks swimming and buoyantly floating their way across the finish line. The event was lively with widely open stages for live performances, restaurants, and various other fun filled activities taking place everyday.

The concept behind the Duck Derby is simple yet effective: people “hire” a black rubber duck for a fee and a key to which number rubber duck belongs to you is attached. The ducks are then launched in large quantities into the water and the first to get to the other end of the arena is awarded a large prize for its sponsored firm. But the real beneficiaries are local charities that get to enjoy the money that is generated through sales of ducks and corporate sponsorship.

This year, the recipients are Lexington Humane Society, the Hope Center, and Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bluegrass. All participants of the event were the representatives of organizations which gave their thanks to the community and explained how the money will help them continue their work.

The Executive Director of the Lexington Humane Society, Sarah Thompson, said: “The Duck Derby is not only a great event, it is a lifeline for animals requiring help. That’s right, the funds that we receive today will be used to feed, treat and give shelter to hundreds of animals that are still awaiting their new homes.

Event profited not only in monetary terms but also in terms of creating the sense of community supportive of its cause. Local businesses were involved effectively; most of them adopted numerous ducks and provided incentives for the fortunate ones. This corporation participation was not only beneficial to increase the total funds raised but also important to show the support between the business sectors and charitable in Lexington.

Race starter and special guest mayor Linda Gorton also took a moment to applaud the organizers and racers. The Duck Derby is the best test for the distinctive features of Lexington and bridges our giving nature, inventive thinking, and determination to contribute to creating a city that is home for everyone. That should always be the case, seeing so many people embrace a common course towards such a noble purpose.

The event was nothing short of performance art, with thousands of yellow duck floating in a sea of colored rubber ducks, sweeping downstream. This made the volunteer in the kayaks assist in the direction of the ducks while also ensuring the race was competitive People were lining the route and cheering enthusiastically while pointing at the ducks they wanted to win.

Finally, as the ducks neared the end of the line receiving, everyone got pretty much enthusiastic. The champion has labelled duck number 7,842 as the local resident Emily Chen successfully winning the trophy and a new car was given by a local auto company. The two good-hearted finalists could not hold back their tears, Chen said ‘I will give back 10 percent of my earnings back to the charities involved in the event.’

In addition to the race, the event that accompanied the Duck Derby was a set of fun activities for children. The children participated in face painting, making duck crafts and interacting with animals at a petting zoo The audience danced to tunes performed by local bands, and shopped for products that were made by local artists.

The event also provided a learning aspect where groups engaging in environmental conservation where present to address matters concerning water rationing and the importance of maintaining cleanliness in Lexing tons water bodies. People enjoyed this environmental, most of them cleaned after the event and left the park clean in a good condition.

As the sun set on another successful Duck Derby, pound the organizers were trying to come up with ideas on how to make the event better than it already was next year. The encouraging negative feedback from the community has therefore placed the Duck Derby at a strategic position on the social calendar of Lexington.

The benefit of the $37000 raised will be seen throughout the year as the beneficiary organization’s utilize the money. With organization aimed at helping homeless people find homes, homes to be built for animals without homes, the waves of joy initiated on this single fun filled day of this competition will have reached out to many a soul in Lexington.

At the end of this event, many participants were already looking forward to the next year and to yet again be able to be part of the event that is so divided equally between fun and charity. The Lexington Duck Derby shows that often the best inventions are those that are not complex and can become major events of a given community and even make a difference.