The banks of the Sheep River were packed with spectators on Saturday (Sept. 15).
It was the Simpora Foundation's second annual Rubber Duck Race & Family Carnival, and given the turnout, it seems word got around after its debut last year.
The Simpora Foundation's Director, Roanne Bodnarchuk, says the number of spectators wasn't the only thing that grew compared to last year.
"We had about twice as many ducks as we did last year. So there were 1,524 ducks that floated down the river this year, so that was quite an increase. I believe last year it was 700 or 800."
The water ran a little faster this year, largely due to a faster flow rate due to recent rain.
Bodnarchuk is already planning next year's race, with a twist or two currently in the works.
She was also with the reception of the carnival, held at the Arts & Learning Campus.
"The carnival was packed with children as soon as we opened at 11 o'clock and it stayed busy the entire time. People went down to watch the duck race because it's not far to walk to the Laurie Boyd Bridge, but after the race, everyone came back and enjoyed the games with some of the local hockey players. We had the Wranglers AHL team, so that was a lot of fun."
The dunk tank was a big hit, and there was no shortage of local celebrities to dunk.
"Mayor Tanya Thorn, she kicked it off for us and she was amazing, she's such a good sport. The municipal enforcement team was there, as well as councillor Gord Lang, and then we had the captain of the Junior B Bisons, Jake (Snashall) was also in the dunk tank," says Bodnarchuk.
Funds raised at the event will contribute to the Simpora Foundation's goal of providing grants for local athletes and teams while building their relationships in the community.
"In order to receive funding from the Simpora Foundation, you have to have a community kindness project, and following the completion of the project, we ask that you do a little report with a few pictures so that we can show the community side of sponsorship."
The Simpora Foundation will start taking applications for sponsorships on October 1.