By Linda Jones
Century Casino entries
The Golden Mardi Gras patio was the happening place in Black Hawk on Saturday, July 16. The casino served a barbeque beside North Clear Creek, the Swine Flu band sang funny tropical lyrics to old favorites, and the Peak to Peak Rotary launched its 8th annual Peak to Creek Duck Race. Yellow and orange duck banners, balloons and crepe paper streamers drew attention to the tables of incredibly decorated duck fleets. (Believe it or not, an exhaustive search of Google discovered a group of ducks is properly called a fleet.)
The Rotary awards three eye-catching walnut and duck trophies to the casino winners in three categories. More than 200 votes were cast for the coveted Best Dressed Fleet trophy and the fishing ducks, complete with lures, hooks and several caught fish won.
IGT entries
The Quack Trophy, which honors creativity, went to IGT for their detailed Star Wars characters. The actual Sponsors Race was won by Century Casino, with the Red Dolly duck floating in second and the Riviera duck receiving third. No decorated ducks actually go into the water; that would destroy hours of effort. Instead undecorated ducks with the casinos’ names on their bottoms are released for the Sponsors Race. Isle Casino Hotel Black Hawk also was a major sponsor, but their duck fleet was undecorated.
The Citizens Race pitted the approximately 700 ducks, which were adopted by the public against each other in the waters of North Clear Creek. Looks are deceiving – the creek looked docile but was running high and fast. No Rotarians and/or their children manning the net stretched across the creek were lost, but several dozen small ducks were. Gary Ennor of Nederland adopted the winning duck and went home with the Grand Prize of $1,000. Joann Kerr’s adopted duck won the season ski pass for Eldora Resort.
The Riviera fleet was all dazzled up for the annual Peak to Creek Duck Race. The Riv placed third in the Sponsors Race.
The Peak to Peak Rotary deeply appreciates its nine major sponsors and the public who adopted ducks. The funds raised by the Peak to Creek Duck Race are dedicated to local youth projects of the club: an Interact Club sponsored by Rotary in the Gilpin High School, sending youth from Gilpin and Nederland junior- and senior-high schools to week-long leadership camps, helping the schools’ sports teams buy needed equipment, awarding trophies for artistic merit in the two schools and two $1,000 scholarships, one to a senior in each high school.
Thanks again to our sponsors of the Eighth Annual Peak to Creek Duck Race in North Clear Creek alongside the Mardi Gras Casino are the Colorado Gambler, Red Dolly, Isle Casino Hotel, Mardi Gras, Johnny Z’s, Century, Fortune Valley, IGT and Riviera.
Mardi Gras Casino entries
Fortune Valley had KISS and Madonna on their side.
Johnny Z’s fleet was also a Star Wars hit.
Red Dolly decorated fleet included some of “Gilpin’s Most Wanted.” Their duck received second place in the Sponsors Race.
The Colorado Gambler's entries
