2008 Great Olympic Peninsula Duck Derby!

The 19th Annual Great Olympic Peninsula Duck Derby, held on Sunday, May 18th was a fabulous success! Thank you to all the volunteers and duck sellers that make this event such a hit! Thanks also to Scooter Chapman, Dan Kari and Todd Ortloff of KONP, broadcasting the race to Port Angeles, Forks and Sequim listeners. Next year's Duck Derby will be held on Sunday, May 17, 2009. We hope to see you all there!

36,660 ducks were sold this year by our dedicated duck sellers for a new, all-time record. Congratulations to Gail Ralston and Tanya Smith, recipients of the Bub & Alice Olsen Top Duck Award, in recognition of their outstanding contribution, volunteering hundreds of hours selling ducks.

Our Kid’s Pavilion was a favorite along with great food provided by Toga’s International Cuisine, The Dawg Cart, and Just Jump! Inflatable Rentals. While the weather was less than perfect, the race was well attended and everyone had a great time – from the dumping of the ducks by Doug Parrish Excavating to the ducks coming into the home stretch, helped along by the Port Angeles Fire Department’s water hose.

The generous people and businesses of our community join in making the GOPDD memorable for everyone involved. It is also an event that thousands of people participate in: The Duck Tab in the PDN and Sequim Gazette reaches 40,000 people; more than 36,000 people buy ducks; hundreds of people watch and listen to the duck race, over 250 people sell ducks; 150 people produce the event; 45 people win prizes and 1 person wins a new Toyota Truck! No matter what level of involvement, everyone has fun, everyone remembers the race, and everyone will recognize your support of this great event.

In 2008:

• 36,660 ducks were adopted in a market of 70,000 people in the Sequim-Port Angeles-Forks area. Our race is the most successful per capita duck race in the world. Every year, over 200 are staged nationally and internationally. Great American Duck Races of Phoenix, AZ awarded OMCF “Racer Of The Year” for the 1998 and 2000 races.
• Over $1,600,000 raised over 19 years for charities including the Olympic Medical Center Foundation, the Sequim Radiation Oncology Center, the Forks Soroptimists, the Lions Club, Kiwanis, the Sequim Boys & Girls Club and other Sequim Rotary projects.