People flocked to Jesup Green for the 14th “Great Duck Race,” sponsored Saturday by the Westport Sunrise Rotary Club. / Photos by Thane Grauel

WESTPORT — Saturday’s showery weather, for sure, was favorable to foul weather friends.

So, a flock of fleet-feathered fowl flooded Jesup Green, making a splash for charity in the “Great Duck Race,” sponsored by the Westport Sunrise Rotary Club.

In its 14th annual stanza, 3,000 bright-yellow rubber ducks paddled down a giant slide across the green, each of the duckies assigned a number corresponding to raffle tickets.

Lucky holders of ticket numbers tagged to the first duckies crossing the finish line stand to feather their nests with cash prizes: first place was $5,000, second place $1,000 and eight $500 third-place awards.

“We sold just over 3,000 ducks and raised more than $70,000 that we will give away to charities,” Bruce Paul, the Sunrise Rotary president, said in a press statement. “There were people as far away as Australia and Japan purchasing tickets and supporting 35 local Westport area charities.”

Here’s a photo gallery of the fun …

Checking out the pre-race field …
… the pool of paddlers is off …
… racing down a 160-foot-long slide … 
… the sea of ducks heads toward finish line (contributed photos) …
… cheered on by a big crowd.
Steve Violette plucks the first duck to cross the finish line out of the sluice. / Contributed photo
Ducks weren’t the only racers at Saturday’s Sunrise Rotary event. Youngsters, with a little help, made race cars in a crafts tent and launched them down a downhill course.
Kids bounced a big balloon though the crowd.

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