Quack, quack, quack! Annual race on Sunday during Old Jasper Day
This Sunday is the twentieth annual running, or floating, of the ducks down the Patoka River. That day hundreds of little bobbing plastic ducks will take a short journey and potentially win a couple of lucky “ducks” some prizes.
The race was a brainchild of Shari Meneilly, an original member of the Patoka 2000. She had seen a similar race in Evansville and suggested the group do one to raise money for the newly formed group.
According to Jasper Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Nancy Eckerle, they contacted the group in Evansville and were able to purchase the hundreds of ducks for use in the Duck Race from them. The multicolored ducks purchased then are still in use 20 years later and are currently waiting to be released again this Sunday.
The race begins at the Gazebo in Buehler Park and ends at the boat ramp. The ducks are released and float down into a makeshift funnel and the first few numbered ducks win a variety of prizes donated by local sponsors. This year the race is at 1:00 p.m. and usually lasts about 15 minutes.
The race has bounced around on the time of year it has run since its inception. Originally planned for the Fall, the group ran into problems with debris in the river. It was then scheduled close to the Strassenfest, but according to Eckerle all the activities during that time of the year prompted a decision to move the race to May. Last year the race was postponed until the Strassenfest due to the weather and flooding in Jasper from record rainfall, but this year weather looks perfect for the event.
Annually several hundred ducks are purchased by local sponsors. A single duck costs a sponsor $5.00, but three ducks can be sponsored for $10. The group raises around $1500 annually with the event and the money is used for all of the Patoka 2000 beautification efforts.
The Duck Race is occurring in the midst of the Old Jasper Day and Strawberry Festival. Old Jasper Day has many activities and is a small family friendly event, while the Strawberry Festival will have a lot of strawberries available due to the weather’s contribution to an early bumper crop. Visitors will also be able to ride the Spirit of Jasper for $3.00 a ticket, enjoy a historic tour of downtown Jasper, a concert in the park and even horse drawn carriage rides.
Patoka 2000 is a group of volunteers dedicated to the beautification of Jasper. They have added the flags flying along the Patoka River Bridge and have also provided the urns full of flowers located along the bridge. In addition to the clean up and beautification along the bridge they are also dedicated to planting trees throughout the downtown areas of Jasper. One of their goals is to make Jasper a Tree City USA Community. The Tree City USA program is managed by the Arbor Day Foundation and requires a city to meet four qualifications to be considered for the designation.
The Patoka 2000 beautification committee meets the second Thursday of each month at Azura Café and Deli at 8:00 a.m. Those interested in joining Patoka 2000 or wishing to make a financial contribution can show up at a meeting or call the Jasper Chamber of Commerce for more information: 812/482-6866.
