Duck Race on Iliuliuk Creek

The Annual Ballyhoo Lions Club Duck Race is one of Unalaska’s most-anticipated events for the Fourth of July. This year, businesses sponsored and decorated more than 40 corporate decoy ducks for the event.

On Monday morning, five high school students and one recent graduate judged the colorful wooden flock in the lobby of the community center. There were two categories for the artistic contest: corporate-themed and Fourth of July-themed.

Alyeska Seafoods won first place in the corporate category, followed by APL and Matson Lines. Honorable mentions were awarded to the Unalaska Divers Association, Northern Alaska Contractors, F/V Alaska Rose, Pacific Stevedore, Rapp Marine, and Samson Tug and Barge.

In the Fourth of July category, APL took the top prize, followed by Strawberry Hill and Aleutian Chiropractic. F/V Alaska Rose, Unalaska Fleet Corp., and Samson Tug & Barge also received honorable mentions.

After the parade, a crowd gathered at the footbridge over Iliuliuk Creek for three duck races. Members of the Lions Club sold 1,200 tickets, each corresponding to a duck. They awarded cash prizes to the winners of the blue and yellow races at a Town Park ceremony after the event, while the corporate race winners earned bragging rights.

The winners are as follows:

Corporate Duck Race Winners
1^st Place: Bernadette Namasivayam
2^nd Place: Matson Lines
3^rd Place: Qawalangin Tribe
Booby Prize: F/V Alaska Rose

Blue Duck Race Winners
1^st Place: John Waldron (cash prize: $599)
2^nd Place: Matt Kell (cash prize: $300)
3^rd Place: Mary Lekanoff (cash prize: $150)
Booby Prize: Denise Johnson (cash prize: $50)

Yellow Duck Race Winners
1^st Place: Vernon Etlicher (cash prize: $599)
2^nd Place: Helen Hammond (cash prize: $300)
3^rd Place: Eileen Scott (cash prize: $150)
Booby Prize: Jay Dinh (cash prize: $50)

Ballyhoo Lions Club President Mark Barber led the organization and the event. The club thanks Harriet Berikoff, Wayne Jones, Bob and Beth Gruenhagen, Jeanne Earnshaw, and everyone else who helped sell tickets. Bernadette Namasivayam was integral with paperwork and logistics, while Steve Van Deventer, Frank Kelty, Bob Gruenhagen, Wayne Jones, and Bill Dunkelberger were on deck for the race and the Unalaska Divers Association helped scoop ducks off the river. Proceeds from the event will help with the club's activities as well as funding for scholarship awards.