By the time the sun slides low over Portage la Prairie on Thursday, August 27, hundreds of little yellow ducks will be waiting at the top of a waterslide at Splash Island Waterpark, quietly contemplating what is about to happen to them. It is a scene that plays out every summer in Portage la Prairie, and it never gets any less absurd: a flock of numbered rubber ducks tumbling down the slide, then racing through the lazy river once the starting barrier is lifted. The first three ducks across the finish line decide who walks away with $1,000, $500, or $200, while the rest bob along purely for the joy of the ride.
The Big Duck Race, as it is cheerfully known, is the annual summer fundraiser of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Plains, and this year it runs on Thursday, August 27 at 6 p.m., with everyone welcome to watch the roughly fifteen-minute spectacle for free. For ten dollars, buyers adopt three numbered ducks, each with a corresponding ticket purchased in advance. You do not need to attend to win, though people do show up anyway, drawn by the peculiar entertainment of watching a field of plastic ducks navigate the course.
On race night, the ducks are sent down the Splash Island waterslide before a barrier is opened and they race through the lazy river toward the finish. The event is brief, often lasting only about fifteen minutes, but tickets sell all season long.
Money raised through the race supports mentoring opportunities for young people between the ages of six and eighteen across the Central Plains region, connecting children who are often facing adversity with caring adult mentors who meet once a week as a friend. As Executive Director Dawn Froese put it, 'It's meeting once a week as a friend, as a mentor, and having fun. It's amazing the outcomes that come from that.'
The Big Duck Race is a key fundraiser for the organization, which also hosts the Winter Wonderland holiday event in November. This year's race is sponsored by Stride Credit Union, and the Portage la Prairie Regional Recreation Authority provides the use of Splash Island.
Tickets are sold at the Big Brothers Big Sisters office, the Portage Regional Library, and Taste of Spice, as well as online through the charity's page. The organization also sets up pop-up ticket sales throughout the summer at locations including the Gladstone Farmers' Market, the MacGregor Fair, Canada Day at Stride Place, the Portage Exhibition, Potato Fest, and the Oakville Farmers' Market. A ten-dollar ticket buys three ducks, and the winners of the first, second, and third finishers split $1,000, $500, and $200. Ticket sales close Wednesday, August 26 at 4 p.m., the day before the race.
For those who simply want to watch, no ticket is required at all; everyone is welcome to line up along the lazy river and see what happens. It is, in a sense, a perfect metaphor for the work the charity does. Behind the quiet and the absurdity of a flock of rubber ducks racing through a waterpark, the real winner is always a young person in the region who has just gained a caring, steady adult in their corner. On August 27, the ducks will take their positions, the barrier will lift, and somewhere along the water, a lucky ticket holder will float their way to a thousand-dollar payday, with an entire community cheering them along.