Fairview Elementary School fourth graders Morgan Pitts, left, and McKenzie Chitwood helped with ticket sales Friday while art teacher Len King did his “duck dance” to the amusement of parents and grandparents waiting to pick up their children.
Time’s running out to adopt-a-duck for the 4th Annual VFL Duck Race
Nearly 2,000 ducks will be landing in the Soque River this coming Saturday during Clarkesville’s Mountain Laurel Festival. But before you look skyward and grab your umbrellas, be aware that these are little yellow rubber ducks.
Volunteers for Literacy of Habersham County will host the 4th Annual VFL Duck race on the May 16th as a fundraiser to support their local literacy programs. The lucky duck winners will share in $1,000 dollars in cash prizes.
Duck race coordinator Johnny Bailey says this is VFL’s single largest fundraiser for the year. “We were surprised and delighted by a matching grant this year. The grant will match every dollar we raise and has become a big incentive for our fundraising efforts. Our fundraising dollars will be matched up to $10,000 dollars thanks to the generosity of a donor from the Communities of Coastal Georgia Foundation.”
The race begins at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Pitts Park in Clarkesville. VFL Volunteer of the Year Nonglak Shiohira will pull the starting rope to release the ducks. The ducks will plunge into the river from Sutton Bridge on Hwy. 197 and speed their way down the Soque River to the finish line at the end of the park.
You can enter the race by adoptiong a duck for just $5. The first three ducks to cross the finish line will be awarded cash prizes of $500, $300 and $200 respectively. Winners will be announced at 4 p.m. at the Pitts Park stage. You do not have to be present to win.
Tickets are now on sale and may be purchased at the Cornelia and Clarkesville Libraries, the Habersham County Chamber of Commerce and Soque River Watershed Association. Tickets will also be available for purchase at the Mountain Laurel Festival Friday, May 15th, and Saturday, May 16th. Click here for more details.
Volunteers for Literacy is a non-profit United Way agency that develops and supports literacy programs in Habersham County.
