KENNEBUNKPORT, Maine — Hundreds watched in awe Saturday as thousands of rubber ducks floated along near Dock Square in Kennebunkport as part of a fundraiser for the local Rotary Club.
This was the 32nd year the Rotary Club of Kennebunkport hosted the race, and it was the first time the annual event sold out.
Throughout the day Saturday, anyone could purchase a rubber duck for $5, which goes toward the Rotary Club's several partner programs and outreach activities throughout the year.
"For example, we work with the community outreach services for their food bank and food pantry," club member Kate Howell said. "We work with a lot of the schools, we run an interact club at the middle school to promote service among youth."
Howell said the club hopes to raise close to $10,000 from Saturday's fundraiser and sold out of its 2,000 rubber ducks for the first time since starting the race.
"People have been buying them for years, in-town who vacation here, and our favorite town locals," Howell added.
Participants and spectators lined up by the Mathew J. Lanigan Bridge to watch the ducks float past. There were three heats of races, with a final race to determine the winner.
The Kennebunkport Fire and Rescue team placed the ducks in the water, and once the festivities concluded, they were fetched at the finish line by members of the Rotary Club.
The winner of this year's duck race, Steve Price of Kennebunkport, won a $1,000 cash prize.