Rubber Duck Regatta helps kids

MOSES LAKE - The race was on as a fleet of rubber ducks floated their way around the Lazy River during the Rubber Duck Regatta.

Proceeds from the races went to The Boys and Girls Clubs of the Columbia Basin in Moses Lake. Rubber ducks were sold for $5 each, and about 5,000 ducks were sold for this year's weekend event at the Surf 'n Slide Water Park.

Carrie Nordberg said this was her first time participating in the regatta, and she bought 20 rubber ducks to race. The reason she purchased the ducks, she explained, was because it sounded like a great idea and place to support.

Chelsey Ballenger also attended the event dressed in a rubber duck costume. She has attended the regatta for two years now because "it's a great event, it's a lot of fun," she said.

To win the race, the ducks had to float two laps around the Lazy River and the first five to make it through the chute at the end won the top prizes.

The first place grand prize of $1,500 went to Steph Burgess. Second place went to Cindy Harshman, who won an overnight Couer d'Alene golf package for two. Chuck Sutton took third with a prize of $750. The prize for fourth place was six Mariners tickets including a parking pass, which went to Nathan Jenning. Rick Willard took home the fifth place prize of $250.

In total, 55 prizes were given throughout the event including gift bags, prize packages and certificates. Winners for those prizes were chosen at random by pulling rubber ducks from the water.

The numbers printed on the ducks corresponded to numbers found on raffle tickets.