Press Release
Duck season officially takes off on March 24th with a festive flocking of yellow duck afficionados and their guests at the Alhambra Hall in Mt. Pleasant. The event, QUACK-A-PALOOZA, A Yellow Affair, will be the “duck call” for this season's annual duck race to raise money for local South Carolina charities and will include an evening of music, Lowcountry foods (including duck?) and special duck drinks.
“We are thrilled with the excitement that this year's race is generating among our clubs across Charleston,” said Mary Jo Romeo, President of the Daniel Island Rotary. “This year, the annual duck race will be bigger and better than ever with a beautiful location – Guggenheim Terrace — near many of our local merchants. We'll have the race of course, along with tents and booths with games, activities and food for kids and parents. We were lowkey during this Lowcountry event for two years and we're ready to make a big splash this year expanding the pond of participants and the funds we raise.”
The Duck Race began in 2007 and made an especially big high dive in 2015 when 30,000 yellow ducks were tossed off the Wando River bridge and into the rapid currents below. Since that time, various duck-friendly water spots have been selected for the race. This year, Guggenheim Terrace will be the race epicenter.
Charleston community members are encouraged to “adopt” ducks – at $10 each to help raise funds for charity. The target goal for duck adoptions is 30,000. The owner of the winning duck has the opportunity to win $10,000. Second and third prizes will be awarded to the runner up ducks. During the past two years, the Duck Race scaled back public activities because of COVID-19. The race is the biggest annual fundraising event for the Rotary with funds going to local charities. This year's beneficiaries will include 20 nonprofits, among them: East Cooper Community Outreach, East Cooper Meals on Wheels, Feed The Multitudes, Halos, ShifaClinic, and Rotary Club of Daniel Island Scholarship Program. The race has raised over $2 million for local charities.
“As Daniel Island has grown, we've become a draw for retailers, developers, banks and restauranteurs, and the Guggenheim Terrace location will be a hub of community activity, making the race especially attractive to business owners,” said George Roberts, head of the Duck Race Committee and CEO of Meals on Wheels of East Cooper. “Because they benefit from our community, we hope businesses will give back and become sponsors, he added.” Typically, the Duck Race is attended by hundreds of Daniel Island residents and friends from surrounding areas.
This year, sponsorships for the Duck Race are available from $250 to $20,000 and include varying levels of benefits such as signage at the event, opportunities for distributing promotional materials, and social media and photo opps leading up to and during the race.
For more information, visit www.charlestonduckrace.com.
