From The South Mountain YMCA:
The South Mountain YMCA is excited to continue a beloved community tradition with the Memorial Day Annual Duck Race set for Monday, May 26 at 11 a.m., immediately following Memorial Day services as Town Hall. The iconic event draws hundreds of people from the South Orange/Maplewood community each year to Memorial Park for a fun day that combines friendly competition, camaraderie, and philanthropy.
Tickets can be purchased online at www.metroymcas.org/south-mountain-ymca/duck-race/ or by calling the Y at 973-762-4145. Attendees are encouraged to purchase tickets ahead of the event, as a limited number of tickets will be available that day. Proceeds go toward the Y’s financial assistance program, which helps make Y programs like child care and summer camp affordable for families with extenuating circumstances.
This year, 1,000 ducks will race in six separate heats. The South Mountain YMCA’s Youth of the Year awardee, Conor Delk, will toss the first duck to start the race. All are invited to come and cheer your ducks to victory and win great prizes!
The event will feature the singing of the National Anthem and a performance from the cast of “Willy Wonka” from the Y’s youth theater program. Families are invited to “Duckorate” strollers, wagons, scooters, bicycles, tricycles, or anything with wheels, and join the Memorial Day Parade starting at 9 a.m. The best “duckorations” will win a $100 gift card.
“The Duck Race is regarded as one of the community’s most cherished events, and has grown in number of volunteers, sponsors, and funds raised to support the community,” said James Goodger, Executive Director of the South Mountain YMCA. “Our goal is to enhance access to child care, sports programs, summer camp and all of the critical programming the YMCA offers.”
Grant Awards
The Y will also award the Ellie and Charlie Gianni Community Impact Grant as part of the event honoring the late founders of the Duck Race. Each year, the Y selects a qualifying local non-profit to receive 20 percent, or up to $5,000 of the proceeds of the race.
Sponsors
This year’s race is presented by Thomas Coutinho, Financial Professional Agent at New York Life Insurance Company.
Platinum Sponsors include:
Heat 1: Maplewood Rotary Relay
Heat 2: Creating Smiles Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontic Waddle
Heat 3: Maplewood Country Club Splash
Heat 4: Lyn Your Face Fabulous Race
Heat 5: Felina Steak South Orange Sizzling Sprint
Heat 6: Metro YMCA of the Oranges Medley
Gold sponsors: Acres Land Title Agency, Air Aerial Fitness (or AIR South Orange), CODA Kitchen & Bar, Cougar Soccer, Jason Morros Wunderkeep Travel Group, Maplewood Mercantile, Marigold LifeWorks, and SOMEA
Silver sponsors: Bass Family Chiropractic, PC, Bayshore Mortgage Funding, Damian Green, Eventage, Gerald L. Gonsalves DMD, Jeffrey H. Goldsmith, Esq, Julia Maloof Verderosa Photography, Kitchen Table, Mona Lisa Framing, Mustard Seed Marketplace, Oliver’s Nannies, Rocket Improv, South Orange Downtown, South Orange Rotary Club, South Orange Village Center Alliance, The Meaghers of Maplewood, The Sprague Family, Tight House Architecture and Interior Design, and Village Trattoria
Bronze sponsors: Coble/Erickson Families, Dale and Tina Favors, Indigo Road Studio, Janet Bartkoski, Joy Yagid Photography LLC, Parkwood Diner, SEES Publishing, LLC, SOMA Chamber of Commerce, Urban Cyclery, and Bethany Joseph Elder Care Consulting
Origins of the Duck Race
The race first began in 1998, when a local bank manager, Marge Welkir, shared at a community meeting that she’d heard about fundraisers that involved racing ducks down a river. Ellie Gianni raised her hand to start researching how they were run, and a tradition was born. Ellie and her husband, Charlie, the proprietor of the local business Maplewood Stationers, ran the event for years, later turning it over to the Kiwanis Club. The South Mountain YMCA took it over in 2016.
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ABOUT THE Y
Established in 1885, the Metropolitan YMCA of the Oranges invests in its diverse communities to promote wellness, safety and quality of life for children, adults and seniors. Its six branches in East Orange, Livingston, Maplewood, New Milford, Hardyston and Stillwater are committed to nurturing the potential of kids, promoting healthy living and fostering a sense of social responsibility through an array of programs. Some 35,000 people belong to the Metro Y, which awards more than $2 million annually in direct and indirect financial assistance.
