The Friends of the Withlacoochee Gulf Preserve annual Rubber Duck Race takes place during the Yankeetown Seafood Festival on the Withlacoochee River. The Seafood Festival happens the weekend before Thanksgiving.
Each year as our floaters take to the Withlacoochee, they are inspired by their yellow brethren from the container ship Ever Laurel. In 1992 while en route from Hong Kong to Washington State a container of 28,000 Friendly Floatees was lost in the mid-Pacific. These intrepid rubber ducks have braved the oceans of the world for decades. From their landfalls we have learned more about ocean currents!
You can honor their legacy and support your community by sponsoring your own floaters (Sponsorships: One Duck, Six Quack, Quackers Dozen, Whole Flock). Whole Flock sponsors also receive a Friends of the WGP membership. Sponsorships can be purchased online via PayPal.
You can observe the race from in front of the Izaak Walton Lodge, home to the Black Water Grill and Bar. The sponsor of the fastest duck will receive $200. And in keeping with those of us with a more relaxed view of life, the sponsor of the last duck is awarded $50.
The annual duck race is a major source of funding for the Friends of the Preserve. Come out and support the Preserve and have some fun.
NOTE: Sponsorship of a Flock of Ducks at $100 includes annual membership as a Friend of the Withlacoochee Gulf Preserve.