Lions Ducky Race

Annual Launch Brings Record Returns

By Soren Wuerth

TNews Editor

The Lion's Club celebrated 25 years of annual "rubber ducky" races this Saturday with three races of bobbing, yellow ducks and a split-the-pot trebuchet fish launch. 

Trebuchet launchers Mike Durtschi (right) and an "interested party" discuss catapulting specifics. (Photo by Soren Wuerth)

It rained, at times heavily, during the duck launch and harvest, but that did not stop yellow-vested Lions from wading into California Creek to net duckies released upstream minutes earlier.

With this year's effort, the Girdwood Turnagain Lions Club surpassed its fundraising goal, said Lions organizer Kathy Trautner.

A swarm of nets scoop duckies from the waters of California Creek. (Photo by Soren Wuerth)

"There were only about 25 onlookers in the pouring rain," Trautner wrote in a message. "Girdwood Lions plan to add some activities to this fundraiser in the future and we have some new Lions with fun ideas.  

"This is our only annual fundraiser to support our many community projects like food bank, scholarships, an end-of-school BBQ, eyeglasses and exams. We added a quilt raffle this year to raise funds to build the John Trautner picnic pavilion at the Lions park," Trautner said.

Lin Hinderman and another volunteer collect the winning ducks. (Photo by Soren Wuerth)

Twenty Lions members participated this year, said Trautner, "and we always have a good time hosting the event, especially watching those cute little duckies."

A trebuchet launched a fish up and over the baseball field's dugout fence and smacked a gridded tarp. After a few successive attempts, the football-sized fish landed in a box with a thud marking a split-the-pot winner. 

The authentic trebuchet, built by Dr. Steve Kulin and his son Rob, is in its 22nd year of performing the launch.