Cash prizes will be awarded during the 5th Annual Lake Gregory Duck Derby and Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, March 30. Adopt your “lucky” duck today. (File Photo by Michael P. Neufeld)
By Jared White
Crestline, CA – A $1,000 cash prize will go to the winner of the 5th Annual Lake Gregory Duck Derby.
On Saturday, March 30, the 5th Annual Duck Derby and Easter Egg Hunt will take place on the South Beach of Crestline’s Lake Gregory. This huge Spring gala, preceding Easter (March 31), is an opportunity for family-focused fun and some quality time in the great outdoors.
This year all proceeds raised will finance the fireworks for the Jamboree Days celebration in July, gates will open at 11 a.m. There will be vendors, games for kids and, according to a source that wishes to remain anonymous, a celebrity appearance by the Easter Bunny.
This is a collaborative effort between the Crestline Community Development Alliance (CCDA), the Crestline Chamber of Commerce, and many volunteers. The derby and the hunt are part of a large-scale effort to develop a healthy and proud community.
EASTER EGG HUNT
The Easter Egg Hunt will commence at 11:30 am. The event is a free admission free-for-all, with separate hunts to assist children of different ages. Over 5,000 eggs loaded with candy will be concealed on the hunting grounds, but make sure you’re there at 11:30 am, because eggs go by quickly!
The Easter Egg Hunt represents a joint effort between Crestline merchants and residents in providing a treasured tradition to anyone who wishes to participate. The Mountains Communities Boys & Girls Club will host the event, hiding eggs and monitoring the kids. Candy has been donated by local businesses such as Goodwin’s, organizations like the Lake Gregory Yacht Club and the Association of Realtors, and Crestline residents.
“The Easter Egg Hunt gives back to a community that has given so much to us,” Steven Tilden, Chief Professional Officer at the Boys & Girls Club, emphasized. “However, it isn’t a Crestline-only event. Bring your kids, bring your basket, and be ready to have a good time.”
5TH ANNUAL DUCK DERBY
A crowd favorite, the Duck Derby will begin at 1:00 p.m. sharp. Ducks will be released down the 320-foot water slide at Lake Gregory. The first duck to reach the finish line, represented by buoys, will win $1,000. Second place is $500, third place is $250.
I’ll admit, at first I thought the event was using live ducks! I was asking representatives of the Chamber of Commerce whether they were wild ducks or raised in an artificial habitat. To our mountain’s animal-friendly participants, don’t worry – they’re plastic, with more in common to adorable rubber ducks you might see Bert & Ernie playing with on Sesame Street than our quaky natives.
DUCK DERBY ADOPTIONS
Each plastic duck contains a number which corresponds with an adoption ticket. The tickets cost $5 per person or $20 for a family of five. A purchase of a ticket places a duck in the race and you a little closer to pocketing $1,000.
Tickets for the Duck Derby can be purchased wherever you see the four-foot tall Yellow Duck. This year Goodwin’s will be selling tickets at the cash registers, during all store hours, from March 1 through March 29th. They’re also available at Rim Bowling, Billy Bears, and other local businesses. You may purchase tickets online at LAKE GREGORY DUCK DERBY with PayPal. Tickets will also be available the day of the event, cash or credit.
“We want the community to rally behind this,” Mike Johnstone, Manager of Goodwin’s, told ROTWNEWS. “It’s a big deal. Every person should donate $5.”
Proceeds from ticket sales will purchase the fireworks, which will be used in the Jamboree Days Fireworks show. In the past proceeds have gone towards great causes, such as the Boys & Girls Club, the American Youth Soccer Organization, various beautification projects, and the water bill for Andy Fletcher Park.
“Every penny goes towards the community’s benefit,” according to Aaron Creighton, President of the CCDA and property manager of Crest Lodge.
VOLUNTEERS
Volunteers are needed for the Duck Derby and Easter Egg Hunt at Lake Gregory March 30. (File Photo by Michael P. Neufeld)
Volunteers are always needed! Remember, the Easter Egg Hunt and Duck Derby are hosted completely by volunteers. They need people to help collect plastic eggs after the hunt (so they can be recycled for next year) and scoop up 2,000 plastic ducks out of the lake. Anyone interested in donating candy, volunteering, hosting a game or booth, or being a vendor, should contact Trina Brettmann at (909) 338-2718 or Aaron and Kathy Creighton at (909) 589-6281.
A special mention goes towards Carolyn Cook, known locally as Cooki, a local senior who works tirelessly to facilitate the Egg Hunt and Duck Derby. She collects the candy donations, hand-stuffs each of the 5,000-7,000 plastic eggs used, and literally “puts all her ducks in a row,” or organizes and separates the 2,000 ducks that will be used during the event. Cooki is a great example of a hard-working, community-minded Crestline resident.
“I’m in it to have fun. I’m retired – I don’t work anymore,” Cook stated. “I like this kind of stuff. But there’s always room for people to get involved.”
EDITOR’S NOTE: ROTWNEWS has already adopted a duck and challenges other media outlets to do the same. (984)