Lamar Rotary Has New Ducky Dash Venue, Adds New Member

Laurie Larrick, Newest Lamar Rotarian

Laurie Larrick was brought into the Lamar Rotary this past Thursday, April 14^th , was assigned her duties as public relations representative and was immediately tasked with spreading the word about this year’s Lamar Days Ducky Dash, a well-known fund-raiser for the Lamar Rotary.

Larrick, who is the Vice-President of Human Relations for the High Plains Community Health Center, was accompanied by her mother, Anita, who detailed her recent visit to Zimbabwe, Africa as part of her outreach work with her church.

Rotarians, Dr. James Smith and Judy Turpin, described some changes for the annual Ducky Dash which will be held this year on May 21^st, coinciding with the annual Lamar Days festivities.  “The past two years, we’ve held the Dash in Willow Creek Park with local youngsters sprinting to cross the finish line first and win the right to draw a duck from the large tumbler.  Before that, the annual Dash featured dumping all the floatable ducks in the Lamar Canal to see which ones crossed a finish line first,” he explained.  Smith said that was pretty well attended, but the retrieval and the clean-up of the ducks became problematic.

This year’s Dash will involve water, as the ducks representing ticket holders, will be poured down the water slide and into the Lamar Swimming Pool.  It will still involve kids and a race, but instead of running, they’ll be swimming to a finish line.  The winners, boys and girls, will used a pole to fish out the ducks from the pool to determine this year’s ticket winners.

Turpin said the tickets will go on sale shortly and the Rotary members will be helped this year by DECA members from the Lamar High School. The majority of the fundraiser proceeds purchase dictionaries for close to 300 third graders in four school districts each year, as well as help support various scholarship programs, such as the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards.  Turpin said, “The Ducky Dash first prize is $750, followed by a second prize of $250 and there are five, $100 prizes that follow.  Tickets are sold singly for $5 or a six-pack costs $25.”  Aside from door-to-door business sales, they’ll be available at the Rotary’s Quackers display booth at the April 29^th Spring Fling, downtown Lamar.  Turpin mentioned a contest is brewing between Quakers from the Rotary and the Lamar Chamber Honker’s mascot Feathers, and said more details will be forthcoming.

By Russ Baldwin