Ducks racing back to honor Naperville Riverwalk's 35th year
Don't feed the ducks on the Riverwalk in Naperville - cheer for them, instead.
That's the premise of a duck race launching Aug. 16 to honor the 35th anniversary of the popular riverfront path.
The race will be an awareness-raiser about the origins of the Riverwalk, which was built to celebrate the city's 150th anniversary in 1981.
"We're trying to help people understand how a lot of these amenities started in town," said Stephanie Penick, a Riverwalk Foundation member who is planning the race. "Because they didn't just happen."
Before residents chose to build the 1.75-mile path, Naperville landscape architect Rich Hitchcock said the shoreline was cluttered with a city garage, billboards, parking lots and aging buildings. Riverwalk construction helped spark a transformation.
"It went from being a 'keep out' place to a welcoming place," Hitchcock said.
Now, this welcoming place will bring back a tradition that faded five years ago after the 22nd and final Great Duck Race. Hosted by the Naperville Park District with the REACH youth organization, the former race raised money for drug and alcohol prevention efforts of the group called Responsible, Educated Adolescents Can Help.
In some years, as many as 3,000 plastic duckies took a swift swim from one bridge over the West Branch of the DuPage River to another.
In this new race, Penick says 2,000 plastic quackers in three colors rented from the Rotary Club of Oswego will be available for "adoption" to those who have a heart for Riverwalk preservation. Each duck is likely to cost about $5 once prices are set June 20. Adoption begins online June 21 at riverwalkduckrace.com.
Not only the fastest finisher from the bridge at Centennial Park to the bridge at Eagle Street will be recognized; there will be 35 prizes to honor the Riverwalk's 35 years and Penick says organizers have some "really fun ideas." The top prize may just be $1,981 - a nod to the year the path was established.
In its 35th year, the Riverwalk is set to christen a new segment when the Water Street District hotel, shopping and restaurant district opens this fall. It's already home to an updated Riverwalk Cafe at Rotary Hill, which the park district renovated for roughly $500,000.
The race also will serve as an educational opportunity for one of Penick's pet projects - educating people about the negative environmental effects of feeding ducks and geese in the river.
Throwing food like bread crumbs to waterfowl causes them to congregate and become susceptible to disease. It also alters their digestion because that stale loaf of Wonder bread is a far cry from the insects and algae these birds usually eat. This leads to more goose poop and a dirtier river. And when geese get used to free food, they can become more aggressive.
Signs and etchings in the path say "DO NOT FEED WILDLIFE," but, thinking it's all in fun, Penick said many visitors disregard the plea.
Even on its website, the new event encourages otherwise:
"Don't feed the ducks. Take a quack. Race them."
If you go
What: Riverwalk Duck Race
When: 10 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 16
Where: West Branch of the DuPage River through downtown Naperville, starting at the bridge in Centennial Park and ending at the bridge at Eagle Street
Who: Hosted by the Naperville Riverwalk Foundation
Cost: Likely $5 a duck; prices to be set June 20
Info: Sales begin online June 20 at <a href="http://riverwalkduckrace.com/">riverwalkduckrace.com</a>