Ready, Set, Quack: 15th Annual Kiwanis Duck Race

The South Orange & Maplewood Kiwanis 15th Annual Rubber Duck Race will be held on Memorial Day in Maplewood's Memorial Park. The action-packed event immediately follows the parade and the ceremony at Maplewood Town Hall.

For duck race novices, here is how the event works: participants can sponsor rubber ducks for a donation of $5 each at Maplewood Stationers in the days leading up to the race, as well as at the starting line on the Oakview Avenue bridge on Memorial Day.

On race day, hundreds of people line the Rahway River cheering on their ducks toward victory. (Each duck has a number written on it in permanent marker.) There are six heats in which 600 rubber duck racers will "compete."  In each, the first 12 ducks to float across the finish line win. 

You can purchase duck sponsorships outside Maplewood Stationers (171 Maplewood Avenue at the corner of Highland Place) this weekend. 

Proceeds from the event go towards helping the club raise money for the various children’s organizations that they support, including the South Mountain YMCA, local Boy & Girl Scouts troops, as well as the Youth & Consultation Service of New Jersey. 

This year's race takes on a special poignancy as it is the first since Maplewoodian Ellie Gianni -- aka the "Duck Lady" -- passed away. Gianni, whose family owns the Maplewood Stationers, was a fixture each year at this time as she sat outside the store cheerfully selling tickets to the race.