Calusa Land Trust’s Great Calusa Duck Race Saturday
This Saturday, March 5, the Calusa Land Trust’s annual Great Calusa Duck Race will be held in the Monroe Canal.
“The Great Calusa Duck Race is now 18 years old,” John Kendall said. “It was in March of 1998 that 1,000 rubber ducks assembled for the first time at the Double Nichol Pub as hundreds cheered them on.”
The flock of 1,000 has grown since then to 3,000 and the Double Nichol Pub is now Woody’s Waterside Restaurant.
“These ducks are now very experienced,” Kendall said. “They are ready for this year’s race. They have been given a complete physical and are being fed high-octane grain while getting ready to race their hearts out for their owners – which could be you.”
Festivities will start at noon and continue all afternoon with live music, games, raffles and auctions. Around 4 p.m., the ducks will race down the canal to the finish line. The first race will be the “Lucky Duck Race” and will begin around 4 p.m. The “Lucky Duck Race” includes 100 baby rubber ducks ($20 each sold only on race day) competing for cash winnings.
The big event, the “Great Calusa Duck Race,” will follow shortly thereafter when 3,000 numbered rubber ducks ($5 each and already on sale) race for cash and gifts. The winning duck will earn its owner” $1,000 cash, 2nd place scoops up $500, 3rd place $250 plus five runners-up each presented with a bag of goodies worth at least $100.
“After resting in the off season, all of our ducks have been in spring training since early this month and are just itching and quacking in anticipation of race day,” Kendall said. “If you are not the owner of a winning duck, you can still be satisfied of your support of the Calusa Land Trust. The Trust is Pine Island’s all-volunteer land conservancy with a mission to acquire, preserve and protect this paradise called Pine Island.
The purpose of the Calusa Land Trust is to protect the natural diversity and beauty of the Pine Island region by acquiring, managing and preserving in perpetuity environmentally sensitive or historically important land and to foster appreciation for and understanding of the environment and our past.
Join the Calusa Land Trust by downloading a membership form from www.CalusaLandTrust.org and mail it to: Calusa Land Trust, PO Box 216 Bokeelia, FL 33922
Woody’s Waterside Restaurant is at 3051 Stringfellow Road in St. James City. For more about the restaurant, call 239-283-5555.