Sunday is Duck Day in Naugatuck

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Thousands of rubber ducks are dumped into the Naugatuck River from the Whittemore Bridge to start the Naugatuck Chamber of Commerce’s annual Duck Race last year. This year’s Duck Day and Race is Sunday. –FILE PHOTO

NAUGATUCK — People and rubber ducks will flock to downtown Naugatuck this weekend.

The Naugatuck Chamber of Commerce’s 12th annual Duck Day and Race will take over Maple and Water streets from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday.

Along with the traditional festivities that come with Duck Day, Naugatuck Chamber Director Courtney Ligi said the event will feature a variety of Disney princesses, including Elsa and Anna from the movie “Frozen,” performances from the Midsummer Fantasy Renaissance Faire, and live carving demonstrations from the Connecticut Wood Carvers Association.

There will also be live music by the Rubber City Blues Band and Boogie Boys, a superhero-themed dunk tank, and carnival rides.

“It is definitely a family-fun-oriented event,” Ligi said. “If you are looking for something to do on Sunday, please join us.”

For the second year, festival goers will be able to participate in a scavenger hunt that will send them to a variety of Duck Day locations, Ligi said. Participants will have to unscramble words and find the location of Donny Duck. Everyone who completes the scavenger hunt with all the correct answers will be entered to win one of 10 $100 prizes.

New this year is a 50/50 raffle. People who buy a raffle ticket are asked to guess how many ducks will be in the race this year, and the closest guess wins the raffle, Ligi said.

The day’s main event is the annual duck race. Tickets for rubber ducks are sold for $5 by area non-profit organizations. At 2 p.m. sharp, thousands of rubber ducks will be dumped into the Naugatuck River from the Whittemore Bridge.

The bridge is under construction However, Mohawk Northeast Inc., the construction company doing the work, told Ligi it will be accessible to dump the ducks off of, Ligi said.

The first 40 rubber ducks that cross the finish line will win prizes for their ticket holders. The top prize is $5,000. An $800 gift certificate for a private Edible Dreams Food Truck Party, a Playstation 4, one floral bouquet a month for 12 months from O’Rourke & Birch Florist, and a one-year family membership for four people to the Naugatuck YMCA round out the top five prizes.

Those lucky enough to have the winning ducks won’t be the only winners on Sunday. The chamber works with over 80 nonprofit organizations to sell duck race tickets and donates $2.50 for each duck ticket sold back to the organizations.

The event has raised more than $300,000 for area nonprofits over the past 11 years, Ligi said.

Ligi encouraged people to come down on Sunday and have a good time.

“You can support tons of small businesses. People get to know each other and see other people they may not interact with on a regular basis,” Ligi said.

For more information, visit www.cometoduckday.com.