PORT ANGELES — A yellow rubber duck 6½ stories tall will rise into the sky from East First Street at noon Saturday.
Large rubber ducks can be seen all over Port Angeles as tickets are sold for the June 1 Great Olympic Peninsula Duck Derby at Lincoln Park.
But those are only 12 feet to 20 feet tall. This 65-foot-tall quacker will be the biggest duck of all.
“It looks just like the others, except bigger,” said Bruce Skinner, executive director of the Olympic Medical Center Foundation, which sponsors the Duck Derby.
“It’s as big as a Macy’s [Thanksgiving Day Parade] balloon.”
‘World’s largest duck’
Billed as “the world’s largest duck,” the creation will be inflated in the lot between the Chevron and Angeles Pawn, across the street from Swain’s General Store at 602 E. First St.
Spectators are encouraged to attend as the duck takes shape and stands tall, which is expected to take only about 10 minutes, Skinner said.
“We expect that it will be quite a spectacle for kids,” said Bob Lovell, race co-chairman with Rick Smith.
“It’s as tall as any building on the Olympic Peninsula.”
“Giant Quacky” was made by Great American Merchandise and Events, referred to as GAME, a company based in Scottsdale, Ariz., that has provided rubber ducks to hundreds of races around the world.
“We selected Port Angeles as the initial stop for Giant Quacky’s 2014 tour because of the success of the North Olympic Peninsula race. It sells more ducks per capita by far than any other race in the world,” said Nicole Garcia, GAME’s vice president of events.
Giant Quacky has made only one other appearance. That was in August in Cincinnati.
“It’ll be a challenge getting Giant Quacky in the air, as it weighs 1,100 pounds,” Smith said.
“We’ve needed a lot of logistical help and want to thank Dave Hassel for allowing us to use his property, and the city of Port Angeles, Lovell’s Chevron and Ron Dimmel of Angeles Pawn for all that they have done for us.”
Proceeds from the 25th edition of the Great Olympic Peninsula Duck Derby will benefit the Olympic Medical Center Foundation and Sequim Rotary Club projects.
“We also selected the Port Angeles race because the OMC Foundation has provided $2.3 million to or on behalf of the hospital in the last eight years, which is amazing in a market the size of Sequim and Port Angeles,” Garcia said.
“The Sequim Rotary Club [which partners with the foundation to do the race] has also done an amazing job.”
So far, about 15,000 duck tickets have been sold, Skinner said.
He expects the race will reap between 25,000 and 30,000 tickets.
During the derby, presented by the Jamestown S’Klallam tribe, all rubber duck “adoptive parents” will have chances to win prizes at the main race at 2:30 p.m.
The rubber ducks — each represented by a ticket — will be dumped into the pond at the city park on West Lauridsen Boulevard, and 42 prizes worth more than a total of $25,000 will be up for grabs as the ducks “race” for the finish line.
Grand prize
The grand prize will be a 2014 Toyota Tacoma pickup truck or a Toyota Corolla provided by Wilder Toyota.
Each duck ticket will cost $5. For $25, adopters receive an extra duck (six chances to win) in the race.
Duck tickets can be purchased from members of the OMC Foundation, many OMC employees, Sequim Rotary Club members and Forks’ Soroptimist International of the Olympic Rainforest as well as volunteers.
Duck tickets also will be on sale daily at the Peninsula Daily News office at 305 W. First St. in Port Angeles, both Safeway stores in Port Angeles, Swain’s General Store, Albertsons, Lovell’s Chevron, Roadrunner 76, all First Federal locations on the North Olympic Peninsula and Jim’s Pharmacy.
Prior to the main race at 2 p.m., the Bub and Alice Olsen Very Important Duck (VID) Race will be held.
For more information, phone the Olympic Medical Center Foundation at 360-417-7144 or visit its website at www.omhf.org.
