PORT ANGELES — For Nancy Johnson of Port Angeles, Sunday was just ducky.
Purchasing rubber ducks for the Great Olympic Peninsula Duck Derby for as long as she can remember, she had six entries in the race — including the one that netted her the top prize — a Toyota.
This year, she broke with tradition and didn’t make a showing at the derby itself.
“I’ve never won anything at it before,” Johnson said after Sunday’s event.
“And usually I go down there to watch, but this year I just didn’t.”
This year, the winner could choose between a Toyota Corolla sedan or Tundra truck donated by Wilder Toyota.
“I don’t know which one I’ll pick yet — I have to check them out,” she said.
She also said she wasn’t sure what she would do with her winnings but was just basking in the moment.
In the annual “race,” people buy tickets with numbers that correspond to ducks. The ducks are dumped into the Nippon Paper Industries canal, and the first 42 ducks to the finish line win prizes for their purchasers.
“The great thing about this fundraiser is that — as opposed to some of our other fundraisers — it helps all 32 departments of the hospital,” said Bruce Skinner, executive director of the Olympic Medical Foundation, the beneficiary of the event.
“This event nets more than $100,000 a year for the foundation annually, so that is a really great thing.”
The charitable projects of the Sequim Rotary Club also receive funds.
Assured Hospice took home the $1,000 top prize in the Bub and Alice Olsen Very Important Duck (VID) Race, an opportunity for businesses and individuals — including those from outside the Peninsula who do business with local companies — to purchase special VID ducks emblazoned with their logo for $250 each.
For more information, phone the OMC Foundation at 360-417-7144.
