33rd Annual Duck Race
Sunday, September 15, 2024
Mark the date for the 2024 Gold Country Duck Race! Thousands of ducks will splash into the rapids. Some folks will win some big money... And don't worry, no ducks are harmed, as these aren't live ducks!
The plastic ducks race (float!) down Deer Creek at the foot of Broad Street in downtown Nevada City, California. The nearby Race Festival - food, drink, music and games - opens at noon in the Century 21 Cornerstone Realty parking lot. From there, you'll have a “bird’s eye” view of the racing ducks in the creek below. Admission is free, and you can even enjoy an adult beverage!
The preliminary races begin at noon. The top 40 ducks in each of the four preliminary races qualify for the Grand Prize Final Race around 3:30 pm.
Race entry tickets will be available at the event or you can get them in advance: 49er Rotarians and other community groups begin offering Duck Race entry tickets in early summer. Each $5 ticket is eligible for the $5.000, $1,000 and $500 final race prizes... And there are many more prizes awarded in each of the preliminary races.
Proceeds from the race go directly to the many local projects of the 49er Breakfast Rotary Club. Even if you don't win a prize, you'll be making a difference in the community! Click HERE to see some of our projects.
The duck race is 49er Rotary’s annual fundraiser that over the years has raised almost $900,000. This is pumped directly back into service projects locally.
The Duck Race is the culmination of a big Nevada City weekend of Revolutionary War reenactments, the Annual Nevada City Constitution Day Parade - a tradition since 1967 - and then the Duck Race. Click HERE for more Constitution Weekend information.
For details or tickets, talk to a 49er Rotarian - you can always find them at the local summer celebrations in Nevada City (Wednesday nights) and Grass Valley (Thursday nights) or at the SPD Markets (Saturday mornings in August).
PHOTO: Avery Maier, 7 was the $5000 grand prize winner in the 26th Annual Gold Country Duck Race in 2017... that's Whitewater Willy on the left!
HERE'S HOW YOU CAN HELP
When you buy a Duck Race ticket or become a Sponsor, all of your dollars go directly to our projects. Matched with our hands-on service efforts and member donations, your funds really do make a difference in the world... To date, the Duck Race has raised $860,000!
A big QUACK to our top
2023 SPONSORS!
ABT Plumbing
Century 21 Cornerstone Realty
Commonwealth Financial Network
InterWest Insurance Services, LLC
Mike Bratton State Farm Insurance
Nevada City Engineering, Inc.
Northwestern Mutual Private Client Group
Ridgetop Holdings, LLC • Russell H Wilder
YOU, TOO, CAN BECOME A DUCK RACE SPONSOR!
2024 Sponsor Form coming soon
Your donations reach quite far. Click HERE to see some of Rotary projects your donation supports.
