Wildlife passing near the Sooke River would have spotted something a little unusual Saturday (May 3).
In a short stretch of the waterway that runs alongside the Sooke River Campground, 2,900 bright-yellow rubber ducks floated leisurely toward a swarm of families standing nearby.
This was the main event at Sooke Duck Day: an annual get-together organized by the Sooke Harbourside Lions to raise money for local charities and initiatives, including the Sooke Food Bank, Christmas Food Hampers, the Sooke Loan Cupboard and Sooke Meals on Wheels.
Before the all-ages gathering, the public were invited to buy the 2,900 bath toys – $5 for one or $20 for five – each of which came with a corresponding number. The first five ducks to finish raked in between $100 and $1,000 for their owner.
Like betters at Churchill Downs, attendees cheered for the ducks as they bobbed slowly down the river, where “duck wranglers” from the Sooke Salmon Enhancement Society and the Sooke Sailing Association – in four motorboats and two kayaks – waited to scoop the toys out of the water with big fishing nets.
According to Sooke Harbourside Lion Janet Evans, last year’s first-place duck helped its owner out of a tight spot.
“He was actually here when he won the $1,000 and he was hard on his luck,” she said. “He was ecstatic.”
Before the flock of ducks floated down the river, 30 larger ones, each purchased and painted by a Sooke business, raced down the waterway. The Sooke Region Chamber of Commerce’s duck snagged the top spot.
Those not caught up in the races had plenty to keep them occupied, thanks to a campground full of games. Duck toss, for example, gave young attendees a chance to lob rubber ducks into laundry hampers 15 feet away, and duck sprints let kids bet on which of four mallards glued to wooden wheels would reach the bottom of a slide first. Potato sack and egg races were just a few of the other activities on offer.
Folks distracted by their hunger could queue up in a long line weaving toward a concession stand, where a hard-working group of Lions grilled hot dog after juicy hot dog to keep peckish attendees at bay. The proceeds of all grilled goods will go to the same set of local charities and initiatives.
This event has a long history, according to Ailsa Wright, Sooke Harbourside Lions’ marketing and communications chair.
“It’s actually a fundraiser that is done worldwide,” she said. “[The Lions] heard about it, liked the idea and decided to capitalize on it since we’re right on the beautiful Sooke River.”
That was 17 years ago, and the club has been hosting the event ever since.
For Bev Lewis, Sooke Harbourside Lions member and Duck Day co-chair, the happy families in attendance make the hard work it takes to set up the event well worth it.
“If you look at all the families that are here taking part, watching them enjoy a free afternoon – that is the joy that we get,” she said.
Wright expressed a similar sentiment.
“The wild cheering at the end as the ducks come close the finish line and people are so interested and excited about it – I love that," she said. "But I also like that there are other non-profit groups that help support us here including the two other Lions clubs in Sooke. I really like that vibe, too, because everyone’s here for a good cause to raise fund for local charities.”
The marketing and communications chair added that the event highlights Sooke’s tight-knit community.
“It’s kind of neat because it’s not just the community of today – it’s generational community," she said. "We see grandparents, great grandparents that have been bringing their kids here since it started 17 years ago and now it’s their grandchildren and great grandchildren, so that is a really nice thing.”
