The Meredith Lions Club runs their Rubber Duckie Race each year on July 4th at Hesky Park in Meredith, NH. The race is the club's major fundraiser for the year with much of the proceeds being used to fund three scholarships.
Early in May, the club sends reminder postcards to particpants from the prior few years. Tickets can be purcahsed by mail by returning the postcard with payment to the club. Local ticket sales start soon after. The Meredith Chamber of Commerce, located on Route 3, sells tickets for the Lions during their normal business hours. Tickets are also available at times through the month of June outside various locations around town. Some past locations were: Hermit Woods Winery on Main St, Aubochon Hardware on Route 25, Mill Falls Marketplace at the corner of Route 3 and Main St. and Moulton Farm on Route 25.
Ducks can be "adopted" for $5 each or five for $20. We also have other duckie items for sale.
On the day of the race, the Lions set up a tent in Hesky Park. Tickets are available until approximately 3:30PM. While the final tickets are being sold, the course is set and the ducks are loaded into the starting gate above Mill Falls.
The race begins at 4:00PM and may last 15-30 minutes depending on the rate of water flow. Once the ducks are released, they travel under the old mill and take the plunge down Mill Falls. They then advance down the water course and through a tunnel under Route 3, heading toward Meredith Bay. The course narrows once the ducks pass through the tunnel until there is room for only one at a time. As the ducks come through the finish, the are racked in a special "Results Box" so th final results can be verified.
Once the final results are in, a winner's list is created and the winners are announced. Twenty-eight prizes are awarded each year. There are five cash prises ranging from $1,000 to $100, as well as 23 prises of gift certificates from our sponsors.
We would like to take this time to offer a special thanks to all our sponsors. They make it possible for us to do all we do and they help us year after year. We ask you to please support them in their business as much as they support us.
Some of our Sponsors:
Dunkin' Donuts
Stewart Property Management
Mill Falls at the Lake
Meredith Village Savings Bank
Circle Dental
Aubochon Hardware
Chris Williams, Architect
The Mug Restaurant
Ameriprise Financial
Middleton Building Supply
Hermit Woods Winery
Giuseppe's Restaurant
E. M. Heath
Meredith Fine Craft Gallery
Moulton Farm
T Bones & Cactus Jacks
George's Diner
Innisfree Bookshop
Hart's Restaurant
Bootlegger's
Just Hit Print
The Common Man
Hannaford Supermarket
Waterfall Cafe
Patrick's Pub & Eatery