Rubber ducks take over Verdugo Park during annual ‘Duck Splash’
Like clockwork, ducks are known to fly south for the winter. But in Glendale, a different sort of migration takes place.
For the eleventh straight year, a flock of yellow rubber ducks raced down an artificial waterway, past a cheering crowd and into “Lake Glendale” during the annual “Kiwanis Incredible Duck Splash” on Saturday at Verdugo Park.
PHOTOS: 11th annual Kiwanis Incredible Duck Splash
About 20,000 rubber ducks were used for the event according to Patricia Larrigan, the club’s president-elect and “Duck Mistress.” Beginning in an upper holding pool, the ducks were let out after a countdown. Once they were released, they rode the water down a “river” fashioned out of tarps and into Lake Glendale.
Participants, many in teams assembled from local schools and nonprofit organizations, adopted the ducks for $5 each. Six different heats determined the ducks that would be racing in the grand finale. Aidan and Laura Tsaparian, part of a team from Rosemont Middle School, were declared the lucky winners of the $10,000 grand prize.
The event, which raised $62,000, is the largest fundraiser for the Glendale Kiwanis Club. Proceeds from the event go toward the club’s many charitable efforts, primarily for children and local youth, including scholarships and educational programs.
The event has proven to be successful, Larrigan said, because the teams, or “duck buddies,” go out and recruit new members and donations. This year, a record 24 duck buddies participated in the event, she added.
In planning for the Duck Splash, the Kiwanis Club was also drought-conscious. Reclaimed water was brought in by the Glendale Fire Department. After the water settled in the bottom lake at the end of each heat, it was pumped back up to the upper lake. At the end of the day, the water was taken to a creek bed, to be naturally reclaimed again, Larrigan said.
“We actually shrunk our lake a little bit this year to use less water,” Larrigan said. “It’s a huge consideration of ours.”
Council members Paula Devine, Laura Friedman and Vartan Gharpetian attended the event, and also helped release the ducks during one of the races.
The atmosphere was festive, with carnival games, arts-and-crafts activities, food, and live music and dancing. A steady stream of parkgoers traveled in between the Duck Splash and the nearby K-9s in the Park event, hosted by the Glendale Police Department and Glendale Police Foundation.
--
Brian Park, brian.park@latimes.com
Twitter: @TheBrianPark
