The seventh annual Ducky Derby, hosted by the Lions Club of Rio Linda, took place on April 26 at Roy E. Hayer Park.

RIO LINDA, CA (MPG) - The Lions Club of Rio Linda hosted their seventh annual Ducky Derby on an overcast and cloudy April 26 at Roy E. Hayer Park. This event, with several activities for children, helped to raise money for the Rio Linda Lions Club (RLLC), a local non-profit organization. In addition to the Ducky Derby, there were other games for kids such as an egg-and-spoon race and an Easter egg hunt. 

Rathbun said that the inspiration behind the Ducky Derby was taken from a Lions Club in the American River Area where they didn’t have a net to catch the rubber ducks and ended up losing about a thousand ducks in the river. Rio Linda adopted this idea 7 years ago and improved upon it by adding a net to reduce the amount of stray rubber ducks that get lost in the river. 

The premise of the Ducky Derby involves people being able to buy as many rubber ducks as they want ($5 for one, $25 for six, $100 for 25). Naturally, the more ducks someone purchases, the greater their odds. All the rubber ducks get released into the river at once and the gentle stream carries them along to the finish line: a barrier made with a rope running through a few pool noodles. Each duck has a number on the bottom to identify who it belongs to and the first-place winner gets $200. The second gets $100 and the third gets $50. There is also a prize for the “lame duck”—the last duck to reach the finish line—which is $5 and a roll of duct tape. 

The lame duck prize went to Jordan Lowe, third place went to Rick Hoffman, second place went to Hilary Korn and the first-place winner, taking home $200, was the Rio Linda-Elverta Historical Society (RLEHS). According to Rathbun, the RLEHS has won almost every previous Ducky Derby they have participated in.

A non-profit dedicated to preserving the history and heritage of Rio Linda and Elverta, the RLEHS works on projects such as restoring the Dry Creek Ranch House, preserving the community’s historic artifacts, maintaining the property that borders the Dry Creek Parkway, and hosting year-round events such as farm and tractor days and vintage car shows. Their purpose for participating in the Ducky Derby was not so much about winning the prize money—albeit a nice bonus—but to support those who also have Rio Linda-Elverta’s best interests. 

“We always help out our fellow organizations,” said Jessica Gifford, the chairperson of RLEHS.

According to Rathbun, the profits from this event would go to providing free vision services and eye exams for those who can’t afford it. If there is any extra money, it can be funneled into some of their other projects such as the Third Grade Reading Challenge. This initiative, which encourages kids to read more, provides them with books and for each book they finish, they get a ticket in a lucky draw wherein the winner gets a $50 gift card.

“The mission [of the Lions Club] is to raise money to give back to the community,” said Suzie Rathbun, the chairperson and coordinator of the RLLC.

The RLLC also has scholarships for high school seniors, where they write an essay on what they would use the money for and those who get the scholarship receive $1,000. One of their big fundraisers is called Ruby’s Baskets which takes place during the holidays. The aim is to give a Christmas experience to those who can’t afford it, providing families with entire Christmas dinners as well as presents for the children.

Within the Lions Club, they also have the Leo Club, which allows kids and young adults aged 12-30 to take on an active role in their community. With over 7,800 chapters in 150 countries, the Leo Club is a global youth organization that encourages young people to improve their communities, develop leadership skills, and make friends.

Nolan Ferrell, a student who is part of the Leo Club, helps with the events that the Lions Club hosts and has also worked with kids in the past.

“I love the Lions, they have helped me with leadership,” Ferrell said.