Cooleemee Falls’ annual Duck Race fundraiser coming up Saturday
Published 12:10 am Wednesday, August 2, 2023
WOODLEAF — The annual Great Bullhole Duck Race fundraiser is on the schedule for Saturday. The 13th iteration of the event will raise money for the RiverPark at Cooleemee Falls.
During the event, hundreds of rubber ducks will be dumped out of a tractor and race down the South Yadkin River to the finish line. Tickets for the event are on sale at Cooleemee Town Hall and will also be available at RiverPark until 12:45 p.m.
“It’s something that’s really interesting to watch. It’s fun for the kids to watch. You don’t know whose duck is whose, you’re just cheering for them all,” said Paul Moore, president of the RiverPark at Cooleemee Falls.
The event will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and the races will start at one in the afternoon. The park’s address is 645 Erwin Temple Church Road.
To participate in the race, attendees will need to purchase a ticket that gives them a certain amount of ducks to enter the race. A “Lonely Duck” ticket is $10 and gets one duck in the race, a “Firequacker” ticket costs $40 and gets five ducks in the race, and a “Flock” ticket is $100 and gets 15 ducks in the race. There are cash prizes for the winners of the race. First place gets $300, second gets $200, and third gets $100.
The main purpose of the event is to raise funds for the nonprofit that runs RiverPark. The park is not administrated by Rowan or Davie counties but instead is run entirely by the RiverPark at Cooleemee Falls nonprofit. The only other sources of revenue for the park are gate revenues, picnic shelter reservations and grants that the park applies for.
The money will most likely go to a feasibility study being conducted in the park and the projects resulting from that, such as the building of a new shelter and a new trailhead that RiverPark has planned for this fall.
According to Moore, even though Dan Nicholas Park beats it in sheer numbers, the park is No. 1 in the area for most time spent in the park by visitors. He also said the park is unique in the region.
“RiverPark is a place for mountain lovers and beach lovers. If you love the beach its got the sandy beach and the water minus the sharks. If you love the mountains it’s got the waterfall and nature at its best,” said Moore.
