IDAHO FALLS — The Great Snake River Duck Race, sponsored by the Rotary Club of Idaho Falls, will take place on Saturday.
Saturday will feature a list of events and attractions, all leading up to the “Duck Drop” at 4 p.m. Perhaps the most notable are the speedboats that will roar up and down the river from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The Duck Race will see up to 30,000 ducks floating down the river, depending on how many ducks are “adopted” before the event. Ducks can be “adopted” online for $5 and have been available at recent farmers markets.
“The Rotary Club of Idaho Falls sponsors the event, and this is our 34th year sponsoring the Duck Race,” said Elaine Grey, the director of public image for the Rotary Club. “Proceeds all go to the improvement of the Green Belt and the Riverwalk. For the past nine years, we have seen proceeds go towards the Heritage Park.”
Grey listed several events leading up to the Duck Drop, including the speedboat races, a car show and a Ping Pong Drop.
“There is a really fun jump rope team that’s going to be there and do an exhibition,” Grey said. “Just lots of fun, and of course, the car show is fabulous on that day. So lots of fun events.”
EastIdahoNews.com had the opportunity to see some speedboat test runs Monday afternoon. To say they are fast would be an understatement. Even before the boats get moving, they sound like classic American muscle cars out on the water.
When the drivers rip down the river with the accelerator to the max, visitors to Saturday’s races will feel the roar of the engines in their chests.
“It’s the same engines (as in a muscle car). Most of these (speedboats) are running 600 to 700 horsepower,” said Gary Barrett, who has been working on speedboats for the past 24 years.
“Most of (the speedboats) run racing fuel,” Barrett said. The fuel can allegedly run between $10 and $12 per gallon. “The one fella, they had three boats, but they had two 55 gallon drums of racing fuel, and see, that cost $800 dollars a drum.”
To support the Duck Race and enjoy some spectacular speedboats on the river, make sure visit the Greenbelt on Saturday morning.
To adopt a duck, go to the event’s webpage here. A little more than 13,000 ducks are still available for “adoption.”
The Duck Race will offer prizes for the first ducks to cross the finish line. The Grand Prize for the event will be a 2025 Kia Sportage. A full list of prizes is available on the website linked above.
The Ducks will be launched at 4 p.m. near John’s Hole Bridge.
The day’s event list can be found on the Duck Race Facebook page here
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