Tickets now on sale for The Great Drake Park Duck Race, virtual again for 2021
While hopes are for a live race in 2022, the initial virtual edition went well
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Tickets are now on sale for The Great Drake Park Duck Race, marking the 32nd consecutive year of Central Oregon businesses and community members raising much-needed funds for local charities.
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.
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.
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.
The 2021 ticket sales proceeds will benefit Deschutes Children’s Foundation, J Bar J Youth Services, KIDS Center, and Mountain Star.
The Great Drake Park Duck Race is presented by local Rotary clubs and sponsored by Credit Unions Working Together (First Community Credit Union, Mid Oregon Credit Union, OnPoint Community Credit Union, and SELCO Community Credit Union).
This year's prize sponsors include Hoodoo Ski Area, Saxon’s Fine Jewelers, Miller Lumber, Cascade Insurance Center, Webfoot Painting, Zivney Financial Group, Bend Heating & Sheet Metal, The Pennbrook Company, Century Insurance, PacificSource Health Plans, and RBC Wealth Management. Media sponsors include the Bend Radio Group, The Bulletin, Cascades Business News, Central Oregon Daily, Combined Communications, KOAK 105.7, and News Channel 21. Carlson Sign, Smartz, and Xpress Printing are providing in-kind support.
