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For Immediate Release: April 21, 2006
Huntington Beach Gears Up for a Duck of a Weekend
14th Annual Duck-A-Thon to include Wine Tasting, Duck Race and Festival
HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. Walk, run, waddle or fly - but don't miss the 14th Annual "Duck-A-Thon" scheduled to take place at the Huntington Beach Pier May 19-21. The event, a fundraiser for Community Care Health Centers, is expected to draw more than 3,000 rubber ducks and their owners!
Kicking off the Duck-A-Thon is a wine tasting that will take place at 6:00 – 8:00 p.m., Friday, May 19 in the City Beach parking lot, just north of the Huntington Beach Pier on Pacific Coast Highway between Main and 6th Streets. Participants will enjoy a variety of outstanding wines and hors d'oeuvres. The cost for the wine tasting is $40 per person in advance or $50 at the door. Call (714) 536-6712 or (714) 960-2892 for reservations.
The main event, the rubber duck race, will be held at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 20 at the Huntington Beach Pier. The race will start off when a giant skip loader carrying more than 3,000 rubber ducks dumps the quackers into the surf. The shoreline and pier will be lined with spectators as they excitedly wait for currents to bring the ducks back to shore. The owner of the first duck to come ashore will win a $1,000 travel voucher. Dozens of other prizes will be given out as well. A standard yellow duck can be purchased for $10, or $20 for an aloha duck by calling (714) 536-6712 or visiting www.duck-a-thon.org. Ducks may also be purchased at the pier on race day from 9:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.
The second duck race, the Corporate Challenge, will be held at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 21. Corporate ducks will compete for the coveted "Golden Duck Perpetual Trophy." Corporate ducks are available for $100 each, or $125 for a corporate aloha duck. A flock of corporate ducks can be purchased for $500.
In addition to the wine tasting and the duck races, a Duck Festival will be held both Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Festivities will include food booths, arts and crafts, and a bounce house and storytelling for the kids.
"This year's Duck-A-Thon committee has done an outstanding job. This committee is as good as it gets," said Carol Speaker, 2006 Duck-A-Thon organizer. "It is a gratifying experience to have so many people come together for a good cause."
The Duck-A-Thon, a brainchild of Donna Cross, president and founder of the Community Care Health Centers' Support Group, has grown substantially since its inception in 1992. The first year netted $7,000. Last year they raised more than $200,000, and this year the committee hopes to surpass that amount. All of the money benefits the Community Care Health Center in Huntington Beach which provides uninsured and underinsured people with low cost health care.
"I am thrilled by the community's participation in our event and the unparalleled dedication of the volunteers in the support group that make this all possible," said Jackie Cherewick, president and chief executive officer of the Community Care Health Center. "Over 20,000 people each year receive health care at our center and it is only because this community supports the mission to ensure access to health care for people in need."
The 14th Annual Duck-A-Thon is being sponsored in part by AES Huntington Beach LLC, California Bank & Trust, Fountain Valley Regional Hospital, G&M Oil/ChevronTexaco, Huntington Beach Auto Dealers, Huntington Beach Elks Lodge 1959, Huntington Beach Kiwanis Club, Hoag Memorial Hospital, Makar Properties, Norm Reeves Honda, Poseidon Resources Corporation, Rainbow Disposal, Rotary Club of Huntington Beach, Shea Homes, Soroptimist International Huntington Beach, Wal-Mart, William Lyons Homes, Inc. and the National Traffic Safety Institute. For additional information about the Duck-A-Thon, call (714) 536-6712 or visit the Web site www.duck-a-thon.org.
The Huntington Beach Conference and Visitors Bureau is the official destination marketing organization representing Huntington Beach, California. As one of the top Southern California vacation destinations featuring premier California beach resorts, Huntington Beach is the ideal location for a California family vacation, California weekend getaway or surfing trip. With eight and half miles of pristine California beaches, it is fast becoming a destination of choice for vacationers and business travelers alike. To plan your Surf City USA vacation or learn more about Huntington Beach, visit the Bureau Web site at www.surfcityusa.com or call 800-729-6232 for a free dining or visitors guide.
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