By Linda Jones
Proud 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. The Last Shot Restaurant is also a sponsor. These generous sponsors make possible this unusual festival, headquartered on the Mardi Gras patio; the extravagantly-decorated large rubber ducks draw crowds to see what the casino artists have created each year.
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Casino sponsors each receive a “fleet” of five large ducks to decorate in whatever theme they can create in their wildest imagination. Fleets have entered dressed as construction workers, can-can girls, prisoners, railroad workers, clowns, NASCAR racers, the Jackson Five performing on a stage, Mardi Gras revelers, Shriners and many others. The most coveted trophy is the Best Dressed Fleet trophy, which is voted on by everyone attending the race. There is also a First Place trophy for the winner of the Sponsors Race and the Quack trophy is the third trophy traveling among the sponsors.
After the Sponsors Race is the Peak to Creek Race. Both races are a benefit for the Peak to Peak Rotary and ducks can be “adopted” for the Peak to Creek Race for $5 each, or a Quack Pack (six) for $25. Everyone who adopts a duck for $5 is entered in the Peak to Creek race, and the rubber ducky that comes in first wins the Grand Prize of $1,000. First Prize is a season pass to Eldora Ski Resort and Second Prize is tickets to an opera of the winner’s choice in the 2012 season, with many other prizes following.
The Peak to Peak Rotary Club represents the Black Hawk, Central City, Rollinsville and Nederland area. It is one of the tens of thousands of Rotary clubs all over the globe that together comprise Rotary International, the largest service club in the world with 1.2 million members. Rotary’s motto is “Service Above Self” and the funds raised through the Peak to Creek Duck Race are used for the benefit of the Gilpin and Nederland schools. Peak to Peak Rotary sponsors a high-school service club, called Interact, in the Gilpin School, awards scholarships and arts awards, funds foreign exchange students, sponsors students at leadership camps, both junior and senior high, purchases needed sports equipment and backpacks filled with supplies and other projects.
