It's the only time you'll find 9,000 ducks 'racing for a finish' on Lake Michigan
GLADSTONE -- The Delta County Jaycees held their 16th annual Duck Race Saturday at Van Cleve Park in Gladstone.
Crowds purchase ducks in hopes of 'sponsoring' a winner. Three-hundred plastic ducks race each heat; they're dumped into the lake, and the first ten to cross the finish line advance to finals.
Winning ducks brought their owners prizes like a 2011 Polaris Ranger or even $1500 in cash.
The rules of the game are strict according to Michigan gaming laws.
"Can't let anyone touch their ducks, so they don't know what ducks are theirs; so we can't let them give them any lucky rubs or anything like that," says duck race co-chair Brian Nelson.
Prizes were donated by area businesses and sponsors.
Money raised from the event goes towards the Delta County Jaycees 'Thanksgiving Baskets,' a program that provides aid to families in need during the holidays.
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