What is the Traverse City Optimist Club Duck Race?
Each year on Thursday of the National Cherry Festival, a sea of adopted rubber ducks will race down the Boardman/Ottaway River in Traverse City raising funds for your favorite youth charities and organizations.
Purchasers of top 13 finishing ducks will win gift cards from our sponsor – the Meijer Store US31 South Traverse City.
100% of these yellow duck sales proceeds are retained for use by the youth charity or organization that sold the ducks, making our duck race event a powerful tool for our local youth groups and organizations.