On June 22, Plum Creek in Castle Rock will turn yellow. Thousands of rubber ducks will descend upon the creek, racing towards victory. Out of the flood of ducks, six will be named winners.
The Rotary Club of Castle Rock will be hosting its annual Ducky Derby on June 22, continuing the nearly three-decades-long tradition. From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Festival Park will be filled with ducky festivities, with the main event — a race down Plum Creek — kicking off at 1 p.m.
Alongside the race, the day will be filled with fun for the whole family. A kids area with face painting, balloon animals, a bubble pond and rubber duck painting will keep younger attendees occupied, while the Downtown Castle Rock Farmers Market will bring local artisans for adult attendees to peruse, along with food for the whole family.
The duck race itself offers friendly competition, with cash prizes for the first six ducks to cross the finish line. Attendees who want to join in the half-mile race can do so, using a ducky friend. Ducks can be purchased through the Rotary Club of Castle Rock; the purchase of each duck is a donation to the club.
Money from the ducks will be used by the club to support the Castle Rock community through a variety of projects, from senior transportation to educational programs and more.
“We’re really well connected to, and support, the community every year,” said Castle Rock Rotary Foundation Board Member Megan Boespflug. “We want to raise as much money as possible and then help as many people as possible locally.”
With or without a duck in the race, onlookers can still cheer the yellow blur on as it traverses the winding creek.
“It’s really cute,” Boespflug said. “You’ll hear everybody going, ‘oh, here they come, here they come.’ Then they’ll come around the corner. It’s quite remarkable. The whole creek just turns yellow with duckies.”
Once the winners are crowned, the rest of the ducks are recovered, with local Boy Scouts lending a helping hand in the efforts.
For Boespflug, the derby offers a chance to connect with her neighbors in a different setting than the usual.
“This gets us connected to Plum Creek,” Boespflug said. “Not a lot of people go down to the creek.”
Through the Ducky Derby, Rotary Club of Castle Rock offers the community the chance to have fun, while supporting causes throughout the town.
“This is really what Castle Rock’s all about — raising funds for a good cause,” Boespflug said. “It’s very family friendly, the kids love seeing it. It’s just been one of those local joys for 29 years.”
More information on the Ducky Derby can be found on the Rotary Club of Castle Rock’s website at https://www.castlerockduckyderby.org/about.