After over two decades of racing rubber ducks down the Snoqualmie River, the annual Duck Derby will no longer be part of the Fall City Days festivities.
But not to worry. Laurie Hauglie, the event’s founder, has started a new tradition for the now retired rubber duckies — a scavenger hunt of sorts.
Dubbed the Great Duck Hunt, Hauglie and a team of volunteers plan to hide 100 ducks — each now featuring a custom paint job — around streets, alleys, trails and other spots in the Fall City area prior to this year’s June 10 festival.
Residents who find a duck get to keep it and can check its corresponding QR code to see if they’ve won a prize.
With 1,000 ducks formerly part of the derby, Hauglie said the plan is to paint and hide 100 per year before each Fall City Days over the next decade.
The project repurposes the yellow rubber toys, which have been a Fall City Days tradition since 2001.
Ducks would be dropped from the State Route 202 Bridge and raced down the Snoqualmie River as a fundraiser for local schools. Residents would purchase a ticket corresponding with a duck, and prizes would be awarded to the owners of the top 50 finishers.
That went on, uninterrupted, until the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered Fall City Days. The ducks were tucked away during that time. When it was finally time to pull them out, they were covered in mold.
No longer able to race, Hauglie was unsure what to do with the ducks. Then, inspiration struck.
While watching a morning show, she came across a story about an East Coast glassblower. During the pandemic lockdown, the artist had been hiding some of his works in a state park, encouraging people to go for a walk outside.
“Whoever found [the glass] took a picture of where they found them and they got to keep it,” she said. “And I went, ‘We’re going to decorate the ducks!’”
Local photographer Jason Refsland snaps a photo of each duck.
After an extensive cleaning and de-molding process, Hauglie said artists, business owners and children have all come out to paint a duck. In April, Krimsey Lilleth, president of Fall City Arts, held a painting party at the library, painting over 50 ducks in under two hours.
“The paint party drew out a crowd of all ages, and they came up with some pretty creative designs,” Lilleth wrote in an email.
Ducks feature a range of designs including local business logos, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, sports teams, farm animals and cartoon characters.
Like the glassblower, Hauglie said she hopes the ducks serve as a fun way to encourage residents to get out, explore and reconnect with their town.
“Some [ducks] may be hidden for years,” she said. “You never know.”
Left: 1,000 ducks being thrown in the Snoqualmie River in 2019. Right: Duck Derby fans watch near the finish line. File photos Evan Pappas & Carol Ladwig.
