Tickets for Rubber Duck Regatta available now
CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 9 years, 8 months AGO
Duck wranglers corral escapees during the 2015 Rubber Duck Regatta. Tickets are on sale for the 2016 Duck Regatta, scheduled for July 9. The fundraiser benefits the Moses Lake Boys and Girls Club.
Senior Reporter Cheryl Schweizer is a journalist with more than 30 years of experience serving small communities in the Pacific Northwest. She began her post-high-school education at Treasure Valley Community College and enerned her journalism degree at Oregon State University. After working for multiple publications, she has settled down at the Columbia Basin Herald and has been a staple of the newsroom for more than a decade. Schweizer’s dedication to her communities and profession has earned her the nickname “The Baroness of Bylines.” She covers a variety of beats including health, business and various municipalities. | June 24, 2016 1:00 PM
MOSES LAKE — The ducks will hit the water and race to the finish July 9 at the fifth annual Rubber Duck Regatta, beginning at 11 a.m. at Cascade Park. The ducks will be dumped overboard into Moses Lake about noon. The duck race is a fundraising benefit for the Moses Lake Boys and Girls Club.
The Rubber Duck Regatta is presented by Horizon Credit Union, and tickets are on sale at both Horizon locations, 1704 South Clover Dr. and at Safeway, 601 South Pioneer Way. Tickets also can be purchased at the Boys and Girls Club, 417 North Paxson Dr. or from Boys and Girls Club board members. Tickets will be on sale Saturday at the Moses Lake Farmers Market in McCosh Park.
The duck derby is part of a larger celebration for kids and families, said Rachelle Beresford, the club’s director of resource development.
The ducks are $5 each, five ducks for $20 and $25 ducks for $100. About 4,000 ducks will be available for purchase, Beresford said.
Each duck has a number, and the first duck to float across the finish line will win $1,500 for its owner. About 50 prizes will be awarded in total, Beresford said, additional cash prizes and fun stuff like tickets to a Seattle Mariners game. Duck owners need not be present to win.
The party will feature organizations and businesses sponsoring booths with kid-focused activities. “It’s a very kid-friendly, family-oriented event. A lot of different things going on.” Each booth will feature different games, crafts, art projects, she said. For adults, the booths will feature information on services and merchandise.
“This is a huge fundraiser,” Beresford said. Proceeds go to the club’s day-to-day operations, said director Brant Mayo in an earlier interview.
Boys and Girls Club participants pay a membership fee, but that doesn’t cover the cost of operation, Mayo said. “Events like this help us close the gaps,” he said.
Sponsors include Deb Graser – Allstate Insurance, Business Interiors and Equipment, Michaelle Boetger Graphic Designs and KDRM/KBSN. Prize sponsors are CC McGraw, LLC; Domino’s, Stacy Garcia (Avon), Jo Jo’s Java and Glass House Car and Dog Wash.
Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at [email protected].
ARTICLES BY CHERYL SCHWEIZER
New Samaritan Hospital opens its doors
MOSES LAKE — The tarp covering the “Emergency” sign at the new Samaritan Hospital could be removed a few minutes early, but it wasn’t officially open until the sign’s lighting was turned on. The timing had to be precise. “I’ve got to wait until 6:59 (a.m.),” said Jason Wilbur of Graham Construction.
Coolidge Rd. extension to improve access to Moses Lake Community Health
MOSES LAKE — Construction is scheduled to be completed in late April on a project to extend South Coolidge Street to connect it with East Wheeler Road. The goal, said Moses Lake Community Health Center Sheila Berschauer, is to improve access MLCHC.
With fewer applicants, Grant PUD trying to fill what’s left
EPHRATA — A steep increase in application fees for Grant County PUD customers has reduced the number of pending applications dramatically. Andy Wendell, vice-president of customer experience, said that was one of the goals, but there were others. “There were a number of things that we wanted to do. We wanted to become contemporary. What I mean by that is that we (want to) have application processes that are providing certainty in our queue,” Wendell said. “(We wanted to ensure) that when we dedicate engineering and planning staff to reviewing applications, we want to increase the probability that we're working on applications that are going to come to fruition as much as possible. So yes, we did achieve results that we had hoped for, which is to have applicants in the queue that are more certain (to) come to fruition.”