Fly Creek, NY – The Cooperstown Lions Club is hosting its fourth annual Duck Derby Race Weekend September 29 & 30 at the Fly Creek Cider Mill to benefit local charities. The event centers around multiple rubber duck races down Fly Creek in front of the Mill culminating in a final race with the winner taking home a $100 cash purse. "The unique attraction of our races is that you can watch the ducks from start to finish right in front of the Mill and enter multiple races," says Rick Hulse of the Cooperstown Lions Club. Racing ducks cost one dollar each per race and races begin at the top of each hour starting at 11:00 and ending at 3:00 with the final grand-prize race on Sunday. Additional family-friendly activities planned are a gift basket raffle, games for children and inflatable bounce houses. Ducks may be purchased at the event before each race or in advance at New York Pizza on Chestnut Street in Cooperstown.
Lions Club's main initiatives are eyesight conservation and community betterment and the club will be accepting donations of used eyeglasses that are then recycled for distribution in less developed countries. Funds raised from the weekend are reinvested back into the community through the Lions Club Mini Grant Program offered in the spring and fall. The Lions mission is to empower volunteers to serve their communities, meet humanitarian needs, encourage peace and promote international understanding through Lions Clubs.
The Duck Derby Event runs from 10 am until 4 pm both Saturday and Sunday with no admission fee. The Fly Creek Cider Mill will be pressing sweet cider both Saturday and Sunday and visitors can witness the entire process in the Mill's Cider Gallery. The Mill is located 3 miles north of Cooperstown and 24 miles south of Herkimer just off State Route 28. For more information visit the Mill's website at www.flycreekcidermill.com. The Mill is open every day 9 am until 6 pm with plenty of free parking.
