BY ANDREAS YILMA
Citizens News
NAUGATUCK — Minutes before workers dumped thousands of rubber ducks into the Naugatuck River from the Whittemore Bridge, a “real” duck swam across the river on Duck Day.
About 2,500 people, mainly from the Naugatuck Valley and Greater Waterbury regions, packed a section of the downtown borough on a hot and sunny June 2 day. Naugatuck Fire-Police blocked off Water and Maple streets as well as part of Old Firehouse Road as the Naugatuck Chamber of Commerce hosted the 19th Annual Duck Day Race & Festival.
The festival, which ran from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., included about eight food trucks, more than 40 vendors and the band One Bad Oyster performing between the Maple Street bridge and J-lucks Sports Bar and Grill. There were also activities for children such as two bounce houses, Thomas the Train Ride and the Midsummer Fantasy Renaissance Faire where a couple of members blew fire out of their mouths and sparred with medieval weapons.
The event also featured a woman walking around on stilts and a man ride on a unicycle while juggling.
Event participants purchased over 10,000 yellow rubber ducks before a man operating a construction pay-loader dumped the ducks into the river. There were 20 prizes.
Jamie Musumano of Waterbury took first place for $5,000 followed by the Rosario family in second place for $1,000 and Dominic Digirolamo of Naugatuck in third place for $500, Naugatuck Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Lynn Ward said.
Participating non-profit organizations sell tickets for the chamber. In return, the chamber gives them half of the nonprofit sales.
“It’s close to half a million (dollars) over the course of the 19 years,” Ward said.
Sixty-five nonprofit organizations participated in the event this year.
“We’re really trying to encourage more nonprofits because they’re getting a 50% return. A lot of times nonprofits would do fundraisers and they can be selling products and they get 10% of the sales,” Ward said. “We give 50% of the sales.”
A new feature this year was Shaker’s Jeep dealership, out of Watertown, that sponsored a contest for Jeep owners to decorate their jeeps and various themes with using ducks. Patricia Seda won $500 with her Pink Barbie jeep, Ward said.
A returning festival feature is the chamber and event-goers honoring young borough school children from pre-K to fourth grade. More than 60 children were honored this year.
“We work with the Naugatuck schools and created a program called “Superheroes” that promotes good behavior in school and good educational practices,” Ward said.
Mayor N. Warren “Pete” Hess attended that portion of the event where all the children received a retired race duck, Ward added.
“The parents were so proud and the kids was one of the highlights,” Ward said.
The event had a small challenge when the hydraulics for the pay loader became broken at about noon. Town workers were able to fix it just before the scheduled time for the ducks to go into the river, Ward said.
The borough is festival-friendly as Hess is very helpful in promoting and bringing people to the borough.
“Duck Day has brought thousands of people from the last 19 years and the Naugatuck Chamber with very limited resources works very hard to have this day,” Ward said. “The amount of vendors, companies, crafters that were here is a great example of the quality of this event.”
Ward gave special thanks to the chamber, event director Barbara Sorosiak, the town, Hess and her husband, Fraser Ward, along with the rest of the people working in the river to collect the ducks.
“I have always said that this event changes lives. Somebody won $5,000 today and that could be life-changing to someone,” Ward said. “The children that come have smiles on their faces.”
Ward said next year will mark the 20th anniversary where the chamber wants to do something very special although she wasn’t sure what it will be.
