Ready, set, quack

DUANE CROSS
MCO Publisher•Editor

Mulberry Creek has a way of making Lynchburg feel like Lynchburg.

It winds through town like part of the place itself, passing the Square and the life built around it. On Saturday morning, it will carry something a little different: a flock of rubber ducks.

The 4th Annual Lucky Duck Race starts at 9 a.m. Saturday as part of Spring in the Hollow, turning a familiar stretch of Mulberry Creek into a line of bobbing yellow racers. For $20, people can sponsor a duck, support a good cause, and take a shot at a cash prize. First place pays $350. Last place pays $150.

That is the fun of it.

The reason it matters is even simpler.

More than a race

Proceeds from the race support the Moore County Resource Center’s back-to-school effort for students. That can mean a new backpack, school supplies, shoes, clothes, and hygiene items – basics that matter a great deal to a child heading into a new school year.

To some families, those things may sound ordinary. To others, they can make a real difference. That is the part that matters.

Yes, it is easy to smile at the thought of rubber ducks racing through the creek. It is supposed to be fun. But underneath the silliness is something real. Each duck sold helps a child start the school year a little better equipped and a little less worried.

Why it works here

Duck races work because the idea is simple, the cost is low, and people like having something cheerful to gather around. Sponsor a duck, watch the race, and see what happens. Lynchburg did not need to invent the idea to make it its own.

And in Lynchburg, it fits.

Mulberry Creek is stitched into the town’s story. It has been there through one season after another, one generation after another, moving through Lynchburg the way it always has. So it feels fitting that the creek becomes part of something that is both fun and useful.

That is Spring in the Hollow at its best.

One more duck to sponsor

Spring in the Hollow already gives people a reason to circle the Square, linger a little, and see who they run into. The Lucky Duck Race fits right in. It is lighthearted, easy to join, and unusual enough to make people stop and watch. Then it turns that attention into something useful.

Organizers say there are still ducks available to sponsor ahead of Saturday’s race. So for anyone who has been meaning to buy one, there is still time to jump in.

The Lucky Duck Race works because it does two things at once. It gives Lynchburg a fun moment on the creek, and it helps local children head into a new school year with some of what they need most.

That is not bad for a little yellow duck.