Pointe-au-Baril

The 2010 Annual Ducky Race will be held on Saturday April 3rd this year, 12:00 Noon at the Pointe-au-Baril Government docks. This fund raising event, sponsored by the North East Georgian Bay Snowmobile Club, is a Pointe-au-Baril tradition that seems to have been going on forever.

For $5.00 each, participants have the opportunity to buy tickets on little plastic yellow ducks with numbers on them. The ducks are released into the waters of Sucker Creek and the race is on. The current carries the ducks onward to the finish line, approximately in front of C.C. Kennedy's.

The first lucky duck this year is worth $1,000, the second $300, and third $100. Additional prizes will be given to the first ten children's ducks (12 and under).

A huge turn-out is expected, for this popular event, again this year. Proceeds benefit better snowmobile trails!

(I had never heard of this event before, and would love to know more about its history, lore, memorable past events...)

Its history is linked to the emergence of rubber manufacturing in the late 19th century. The earliest rubber ducks were made from harder rubber.

Jim Henson popularized rubber ducks in 1970, performing the songs...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duck_race#Races
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

To answer some inquiries to date, the Pointe au Baril annual rubber ducky race got its start back approx. 11 or 12 years ago around the year 2000. Terry Desmasdon and Tonia Blenkarn were looking for a way to raise money for new playground equipment in the yard of our beautiful community centre. My husband Paul Penfold got talking to them about their great idea and said "why not hold a rubber ducky race down Sucker Creek?" Well they all banged heads together and started a great Easter Weekend tradition! The ladies in question went on to realize their dream of a great playground for the children, and then passed the event onto the North Eastern Georgian Bay Snowmobile Club. Paul and other volunteers of that club have been raising money every Easter, for a few years now. All the businesses of Pointe au Baril and other areas, donate gifts for the raffle table, and the ladies of our little town bake lots of goodies for our bake table. There are 50/50 draws and a BBQ lunch on that day. There is lots of fun for the whole family, so we would love to have you come. Part of last years donation went to "raise the roof on the rink", committee to improve the kids skating rink in our town.
The young people of Pointe au Baril volunteer on this special day, setting up the event, selling tickets, and cleaning up afterward. For more info you can give Paul a call at 705 366 2567. Hope to see you there.