(19,500 ducks splash into the river and race to the finish line | Photo courtesy of Mid Oregon Credit Union)
The 2022 Great Drake Park Duck Race raised nearly $94K for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Bend, Central Oregon Veterans Outreach (COVO), Deschutes Children’s Foundation and MountainStar Family Relief Nursery. This year marks the 33rd consecutive year of local Rotary clubs, businesses and community members raising much-needed funds for local nonprofit organizations.
On September 11, the ducks returned after a two-year hiatus and were excited to show off their racing skills. Spectators eagerly awaited at the Galveston Bridge “starting line” as 19,500 plastic ducks splashed into the river, competing to be first to cross the finish line.
In the end, Debbie Anderson’s duck outpaced the pack for first place earning her the Grand Prize of $5,000 cash! The list of 2022 Great Drake Park Duck Race winners include:
- $5,000 cash — Debbie Anderson
- Two 2022-23 Hoodoo area season passes — Shirley Robinson
- Saxon’s 1/2 carat signature diamond earring — Fiona Noonan
- Milwaukee 18V cordless tool set, job radio, wet/dry vacuum — Jennifer DeFeo
- K1 Speed one-hour use of building — Julane Dover
- Half-day customer tour for ten from Wanderlust — Lorie Mays
- Webfoot painter for a day — Sally Irving
- Sony 43” X85K 4K HDR LED TV — Megan Duerk
- Four rounds of golf at Widgi Creek — William Smith Properties
- $500 in Bend downtown bucks — Craig Edwards
- $500 gift card from Les Schwab — Marcia Houston
- $500 gift card from Les Schwab — Brad Hester
- $500 Box Factory gift box experience — Chris Conant
- Gozney Roccbox portable pizza oven — Tim Wood
- $425 Red Carpet gift card — Kathy Skidmore
- $400 Amazon gift card — Colleen Puterbaugh
- $400 Old Mill gift card — Taylor Thayer
- $250 with Wild Rose Thai — James Casey
- $250 Zydeco gift card — John Snippen
- Two ten-punch, two-hour pickleball gift card — Denise Walker
$5 duck race raffle tickets were sold throughout the summer by local Rotary clubs, First Community, Mid Oregon, OnPoint, SELCO Credit Union and online at theduckrace.com. The Great Drake Park Duck Race is presented by local Rotary clubs and sponsored by Credit Unions Working Together.
2022 prize sponsors included Cascade Insurance Center, Century Insurance, Compass Commercial, Hoodoo Ski Area, Hutch’s Bicycles, Johnson Brothers Appliance, K1 Speed, Les Schwab, Miller Lumber, PacificSource Medicare, The Pennbrook Company, RBC Wealth Management. Saxon’s Fine Jewelers, Stereo Planet, Webfoot Painting, Zivney Financial Group. Media and other sponsors include Bend Parks and Rec, Bend Radio Group (Mix 100.7, KSJJ 102.9, Power 94, 92.9FM, Backyardbend), The Bulletin, Cascades Business News, Central Oregon Daily, Combined Communications (99.7 The Bull, KBND, 107.7 The Beat, 98.3 The Twins, 101.7), News Channel 21, Smartz, Source Weekly and Wahoo Films. In-kind support includes Carlson Sign, Sign Pro and Xpress Printing.
