Thousands crowded onto the Whittemore Bridge Sunday to watch as 16,000 rubber ducks raced down the Naugatuck River.
The first duck through an opening in the barrier a few hundred feet downstream won the top prize of $5,000. That prize went to borough resident Lou Johnson. Jen Ziegler of Thomaston won a three carat diamond and gold tennis bracelet, borough resident Mikey Daniels won a 42-inch plasma screen television, borough resident Barbara Woofrey won a $500 gift certificate to the Brass Mill Center and Commons and Mary Dubay of Watertown won four box seats to the New York Yankees’ June 15 game against the Philadelphia Phillies.
The annual Naugatuck Duck Day, now in its sixth year, raised about $40,000 for 80 local organizations including schools, churches and Scout troops.
Festivities spilled out along Maple Street and the General DataComm parking lot, with vendors selling their wares and performances by the Rubber City Blues Band and Cirque Du Jour.
The event was organized by the Greater Waterbury Chamber of Commerce.