Over the first three years of its existence, the Great American Duck Derby, that race has raised almost $67,000 – including approximately $23,500 last year – for an upcoming infant and toddler playground at Hinton Park in Petal.
Officials from the Petal Excel By 5 Coalition, which puts on the event, are hoping for another good turnout for this year’s showing that will be held at 9 a.m. August 27 at Grand Paradise Water Park. Adoptions of ducks are currently underway until the day of the event, at a cost of $10 a piece, at various locations around the Friendly City.
“(The duck derby) is ultra important,” said Leahne Lightsey, executive director of the Petal Education Foundation. “The playground of course is going to cost a good bit more than we have raised, but what happens is, if we have money laid aside, it’s a good, optimum match for a grant.
“It shows grantors that we are working very hard on our own to make money, that we’re not just waiting for a handout. We’re turning over every stone to try to find funding for this project.”
On the morning of the race, officials will dump an expected 3,000 numbered ducks into the water park’s lazy river. The first three ducks to cross the finish line will net the following cash prizes for their owners: $2,000 for first place, $1,000 for second place and $500 for third place.
Sponsors for the race are Verge Entrance Solutions, Carter’s Jewelry of Petal and R and R Building & Development.
Adopters can purchase a single duck or Quack Packs (six ducks for $60), a Quacker’s Dozen (12 ducks for $120) or a Flock of Ducks (20 for $200). If an individual adopts a flock, they get three free duck adoptions, while a Quacker’s Dozen nets two free adoptions and a Quack Pack earns one free adoption.
Ducks can be adopted at several spots in Petal, including the Petal Area Chamber of Commerce, Grand Central Outfitters, the Petal School District central office, The Coleman Center for Families and Children and Mimi’s Playhouse. Participating businesses will feature an inflatable duck or bright yellow sign in front of their locations.
Online adoptions can be made at www.petalduckderby.com. For more information, contact Lightsey at (601) 545-3002 or leahne.lightsey@petalschools.com.
In May of last year, the Petal Board of Aldermen voted to adopt a Memorandum of Understanding with Petal Excel By 5 for the playground, which will hopefully be finished within the next six months.
The playground equipment will be suitable for children from six months to five years old, including a Smart Play Nook that offers 28 different activities for children 6-23 months. The Nook is designed to prompt adult-child conversations regarding key developmental domains, including literacy, math, science, nature, social-emotional development, nutrition and physical activity.
The second key piece of equipment to be installed at the park is the Smart Play Loft, which is aimed at children two to five years old. It includes 20 interactive activities that address developmentally-appropriate skills, including a shapes panel, image panel, steps, alphabet panel, lower level clubhouse and crawl tunnel.
Also included at the playground will be three different types of swings – including one molded bucket seat, one infant swing and one ‘Family Friendship’ swing – along with soft, grass-style turf and foam flooring that resembles a stream running through the middle of the site. Children also will be able to play on a large-scale caterpillar that is suitable for climbing on or crawling under.
The playground is expected to cost between $285,000 and $300,000.
“It’s going to be state-of-the-art,” Lightsey said in a previous story. “There’s not any, so our idea of engineers and ‘imagineers’ are trying to create the piece of equipment and adapt it to the ages and stages of that infant and toddler and very young pre-schooler.
“So that incurs a little more cost than just looking at a piece in a catalog and just whipping out a piece of equipment and putting it out there. There’s a lot more to it than I ever imagined, but we’re willing to take the time to do it right.”
