Annabelle Wiley, left, and Evelyn Serrano decorate a duck for the Volunteers for Literacy (VFL) duck decorating contest- Dec A Duck. The contest is being held in conjunction with VFL’s 7th Annual Rubber Duck Race held during Clarkesville’s Mountain Laurel Festival on May 19th.
Just as the Mountain Laurel Day Festival is a Habersham County tradition, so has the VFL Annual Rubber Duck Race become a tradition in itself at Mountain Laurel Day. And now is the time to “get your duck in the race!”
The race, which will be held at the Mountain Laurel Day Festival on May 19, will begin at 3:30 pm when VFL Duck Race chair Johnny Bailey expects to race as many as 2,000 rubber ducks. The adopted ducks will “swim” for one-quarter mile to the finish line after being dropped in the Soque River from the Highway 197 bridge at Pitts Park.
Soque Watershed volunteers will be on hand in kayaks to make sure that all ducks cross the finish line and that none get stuck in river bank bushes.
Cash prizes & duck decorating contest
First place winner will receive $1000; second place $500 and third place will receive $250. Winners will be announced immediately after the race from the Pitts Park stage.
“Our goal this year is to raise $15,000 which will help VFL to offer programs to increase literacy in Habersham County,” says duck race chair Johnny Bailey. “We are especially excited to have a $10,000 matching grant from the Communities of Coastal Georgia Foundation this year.”
Last year’s race raised $12,000 to support local literacy projects.
To help VFL raise the $10,000 needed for the match VFL has added a new facet to the race – Dec A Duck. All sponsors are offered an opportunity to participate by decorating a large duck that VFL provides. After riding in the Mt. Laurel Day parade, the Dec A Ducks will be displayed at the VFL booth and entered into a contest for Best Overall Duck, Most Creative Duck and People’s Choice. Businesses that Dec A Duck are encouraged to have their duck on display at their place of business until parade day. Families are also encouraged to enter. Sponsorships begin at $100.
A community investment
Statistics show that for every dollar spent on adult literacy in a community, $33 comes back to the community. With that in mind, Bailey explains that VFL helps immigrants acquire English language skills through the VFL English Language Acquisition (ELA) Program held at Cornelia First Baptist Church, provides child care for adult students in the ELA and LiFt Program and provides GED scholarships.
He adds that VLF’s goal is to encourage literacy at every level possible which includes giving dictionaries to all third grade students in Habersham County Schools every year, sponsoring the annual Scripps Spelling Bee, providing reading opportunities to all ages through six Little Free Libraries in Habersham County and in summer reading programs and partnering with several Habersham organizations to sponsor One Book Habersham.
Ticket outlets
Duck race tickets are $5 each, 5 for $20 or 25 for $100 and can be purchased at the Cornelia Library, Clarkesville Library, at the Soque Watershed office on Washington Street in Clarkesville, at Elizabeth & Company and at Erwin Rush in the Clarkesville Square. Ticket may also be purchased online through the VFL Facebook page, at the VFL website [email protected], or by calling Phylecia Wilson at (706) 499-7474. VFL board members also have tickets for sale.
VFL is a non-profit agency of the United Way of Habersham County. All donations are tax deductible.
