Rubber ducks race down the Mill Pond Spillway on April 10.
WESTBOROUGH – Rubber ducks bobbed down the Mill Pond Spillway in Westborough, with hundreds watching virtually via Facebook Live April 10.
The event marked the Westborough Lions Club’s first annual Rubber Duck Derby. Mirroring events held over the years in other area communities like Hudson, the derby saw community members pay to adopt individual rubber ducks. Organizers then dumped those ducks into the spillway, watching to see which one rode the current fastest down a short track to the finish line.
Due to the pandemic, it was an all-virtual event, with online duck sales and that aforementioned livestream. That didn’t deter community members, though, who turned up to adopt 341 ducks.
“It was a hotly contested race, as the lead changed several times with the winning duck, number 2000, adopted by Greg Conlan, taking the lead in the last few seconds of the race,” read a Lions Club press release announcing the results of the event.
Having won, Conlan now gets to take home 50 percent of the funds raised through the race effort. That comes out to $1,310.
The Lions Club, meanwhile, will be using its share of the Duck Derby money to offer a $1000 scholarship to a Westborough High School senior next month.
“Due to the enthusiasm of all involved and the success of the event, the Lions plan on hosting the Derby again next year,” read the Lions Club press release. “The Westborough Lions Club would like to thank everyone who supported the event!”
View the full Rubber Duck Derby online at https://youtu.be/vuB6Hf5XF7E.
