The charity race began shortly after noon, after the fitful start when a few of the ducks slipped under the containment booms in a false start.
The errant ducks were retrieved and placed back inside the booms. And after the restart, a strong breeze blew the ducks against the booms on the west side the river, and the outflowing tide drove them toward the finish line just above the Ruth Steinkraus Cohen Bridge.
And Sunny the Duck, the race’s 23-foot-tall inflatable mascot, reappeared — sitting up tall — after spending much of the previous week bobbing on her side on rainy and windy days.
A large crowd, including a host of young parents and their children, gathered at Parker Harding Plaza for the family event.
Sunrise Rotary hosts the race to raise funds it donates to more than 30 nonprofit organizations in Westport, nearby communities, and around the world.
On a nearly ideal day youngsters got their faces painted, painted a small car, built small cars for the Maker Faire’s Nerdy Derby, jumped around in the Bouncy Castle, climbed on the Fire Department’s historic engine, and learned to shoot small marshmallows through DIY plastic blow guns.
Westporter Bill Pasqua owned the winning duck’s ticket and took home a $5,000 Visa Gift Card, courtesy of Patriot Bank, and Sunrise club member Cheryl Eldh’s duck won her the $1,000 second place Visa Gift Card. The next eight ducks yielded Visa Gift Cards of $500 each to their ticket holders.
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