KEARNEY — Ten thousand lead-weighted ducks will race down Kearney Canal in Yanney Park Heritage Park June 5.

This flock of ducks will benefit the community through the United Way of the Kearney Area.

“Our United Way exists to connect people with need with people who care,” said Lisa Reese Parish, United Way executive director.

This is the first year United Way has presented the duck race.

“Kearney has had a duck race before with the Kearney Catholic School Foundation and a partnership between the public school foundation and UNK,” Parish said.

The last duck race was in 2007.

“We decided last year we would bring it back for United Way,” Parish said.

Through the Buck a Duck program, local organizations are able to earn money while benefiting United Way, which will rebate $1 per duck to participating organizations.

Parish said she is thankful for the sponsors, prize donors and volunteers who have made this year’s duck race possible.

While past prizes have included a car, this year the United Way will be giving away $10,000 cash to one lucky duck.

“You might not like the color or size of a car, but I don’t think the color of $10,000 is going to clash with anything you own,” Parish said.

Duck sales began the first week of May and will continue through Friday.

“Then, we will have a booth during Yanney Park Heritage Days, and we will take sales there until 2 p.m. on June 5,” Parish said. The race is set for 3 p.m. June 5.

Duck merchandise, including stuffed animals and noisemakers called quackers, will be for sale because kids often see the racer ducks and want to take them home, Parish said.

“The racer duck has a special lead weight in the bottom and is designed to float down a waterway fairly quickly,” Parish said.

The ducks will be loaded into a dump truck and dumped into the canal by the bridge on the north end of Yanney Park.

“We will have 10,000 of these ducks that are going to be labeled with the lottery number for each person,” Parish said.

The ducks will make their way down the canal to the second bridge where a specially designed track will be suspended across the canal.

“The ducks actually swim single file into it,” Parish said. “Then, we will determine which ones come in first.”

The United Way has worked with the Nebraska Lottery and is licensed to give away cash and prizes.

“People seem really excited to see the little yellow guys back in town,” Parish said.

She hopes to reach the goal of 10,000 ducks.

“We usually sell the most that final week, and we are looking forward to that,” Parish said.

Penny Parker, communications director at United Way, says United Way has signed on to sponsor the race for the next three years.

Duck adoption forms can be picked up at the United Way of the Kearney Area offices, any United Way partner agency or one of the sponsors. Ducks are $5 each, five for $20 and 12 for $50.

“The ultimate goal will be to put $20,000 into the hands of nonprofit organizations,” Parish said.

Parker said, “I think that’s the United Way spirit about it. Everyone helps everyone.”

e-mail to:

debbie.epping@kearneyhub.com

United Way

United Way works to advance the common good in the Kearney area through seven priority areas:

—Responding to a crisis

—Helping children and youths succeed

—Building stronger families

—Helping people with special needs

—Preventing and dealing with abuse

—Ensuring self-sufficiency

—Supporting the aging population