JACKSON – When you hear “race,” you usually think of an intense, high-speed rush of adrenaline toward a finish line.
The 19th Annual Rubber Duck Race was equally fun, but far more relaxed, as hundreds of rubber ducks made their way down a trickling river in Lakewood’s Pine Park.
The Knights of Columbus Saint Monica Council 11529 members gathered in force for the event which serves as a special fundraiser. It featured a grand prize of a 55-inch smart TV with surround sound, along with additional prizes.
Families came out and enjoyed children’s games, entertainment, and the big event of the day, the duck race itself. It took a little time for all those regulation-sized rubber ducks to float down the park’s waterway and reach specially constructed lanes to funnel in the racers.
Admission was free, and rubber duck tickets were sold that day. Food was available for purchase and proceeds supported the charitable works of the Knights of Columbus, including donations to agencies such as St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Special Olympics and programs for children with disabilities.
Knights of Columbus (KOC) member Alex Markow explained that the state “created specific gambling laws to cover rubber duck races in New Jersey. For every single ticket we sell the number has to be written on the bottom of the duck and entered into a database.”
He was at a registration table among his fellow knights greeting new arrivals to the area of the park where all the attendees and the 655 ducks were hanging out. There were several inflatable children attractions set up and tables where lunch would be served up prior to the main event.
Markow added that Jackson has two active Knights of Columbus councils from two different Catholic Church parishes. “We have Saint Monica’s which covers pretty much the west side (of the township) and east side close to Howell is Saint Aloysius Knights of Columbus #6201. They are two different councils but they are in the same district and we do events together and fundraising and we give a lot of money away.”
“Sal Scalici is the Grand Knight of Council 11529. Chris Canella is our event organizer. We call him the Duck Master,” Markow said with a chuckle.
“This our 19th year for this,” Canella said. “We start in the morning setting up and registering people who want to have a duck in the race and at one o’clock we run the ducks down the creek. It has always been held here in Pine Park. It is a great spot and we have a great day with a barbeque and prizes. We have sponsors this year which is wonderful.”
He explained that this year there was a coupon book that featured coupons by the sponsors with discounts. “If you buy two tickets or more you get a coupon book. The money – all 100% – goes to charity. We do Saint Jude’s Children’s Hospital and local Jackson charities. The chairperson gets to choose which charity they would like it to go to.” He named Open Door Pregnancy as a local charity.
“We have a great group. We usually have 25 guys who get involved and help us with this event from start to finish. The race takes time because we are running PVC piping to make sure the ducks don’t get stuck on branches. We have to clear out the area because you don’t know what happened in the winter and spring. You don’t know what you are looking at until you get down there,” Canella said.
He added, “The ducks are all the same size. There are bylaws by the state and they have a section for rubber duck races. I think they designed it with us in mind which is fine. We have to get a license and then we get the park and list all the prizes on the ticket itself. The purchase of a duck ticket is ten bucks and then you see if you can win a prize.”
Prizes range from the big screen TV to golf clubs, Giants, Jets and Sixers tickets. “We make it fun and for the kids we also have face painting, gourd painting and the bouncy bounce attractions. The race itself is a lot of fun,” he added.
Members of the Jackson Knights of Columbus Saint Monica Council 11529 also used the event to promote their annual Christmas Tree sale. It has a new location at 138 North County Line Road in Jackson.
