1,445 plastic ducks in river honor Naperville Riverwalk
Hundreds of spectators lined the banks of the West Branch of the DuPage River Tuesday morning in Naperville to watch 1,445 plastic ducks float by on a gentle current.
The Naperville Riverwalk Foundation Duck Race marked the Riverwalk's 35th anniversary and celebrated the 1.75-mile path's evolution.
"We wanted to raise awareness that this (path) didn't just happen," foundation member Stephanie Penick said.
The initial portion of the Riverwalk, between Main and Eagle streets, was dedicated on Sept. 7, 1981, she said. Over the years, the path and park have been expanded and enhanced with bridges, fountains, artwork, landscaping, the carillon bell tower, the Riverwalk Café and other amenities.
Echoing a plastic duck race that was an annual tradition along the Riverwalk until five years ago, Tuesday's race began after Pete Ellman played reveille on his bugle and organizers stationed on the Centennial Bridge dropped blue, pink and yellow ducks into the water below.
"We borrowed these (ducks) from the Oswego Rotary Club," said Jan Erickson, riverwalk administrator. "The Riverwalk has been a wonderful partnership between community and civic organizations for the use of our residents and our guests. I think it's the economic engine that drives Naperville. It's just plain old wonderful."
Chances to "adopt" a duck were sold for $5 each, Penick said. Proceeds will go to the foundation's efforts to maintain and enhance the Riverwalk.
The Dalton family of Naperville had five ducks in the race.
"We were in the Wisconsin Dells and saw they had duck races," Dennis Dalton said.
He was on the starting bridge with his wife, Denise, and their children Meghan, 7, and Matthew, 5. "We're trying to keep them entertained in the summer," he said.
Mary Jane Leisten, a banker with First Community Financial Bank, one of the event sponsors, showed up with an inner tube shaped like a duck around her waist. She said her employer bought 10 racing ducks and assigned each of them to a nonprofit organization.
Her outfit also included a sign encouraging Riverwalk visitors not to feed the wildlife, including the real ducks, because of the negative environmental effects of interfering with nature.
Once released, it took the swiftest plastic ducks only about eight minutes to reach the finish line at the Eagle Street bridge, where a net strung across the width of the river caught some of the competitors.
A fair number of ducks eluded the trap and continued downriver, rescued by "catchers" wading in the water and scooping them out with nets.
The first-place duck was "adopted" by Paula Crow, who won $1,981. The second-place duck, adopted by Sherry Fust, came with a $500 prize. And a prize of $250 will go to Tami Kidd-Brown, who adopted the third-place duck.
Before the race began, the foundation randomly selected 10 "lucky ducks" from the group. Each of those ducks' owners will get a $35 prize, Penick said.