Lord Love A Duck

The tide was in their favor. The wind was not.

So this afternoon’s Great Duck Race  was contested at less than warp speed.

That hardly mattered. A large crowd gathered at Parker Harding Plaza. Kids enjoyed face painting, a bounce house and games.

Adults bought rubber “ducks” — over 2,000 of them. At 3 p.m. they were dumped in the river.

At 3:30 the race began. Slowly — very slowly — the ducks made their way downstream.

Finally, a winner emerged. That duck earned its owner a $5,000 Visa debit card.

Nine other winners shared other Visa prizes.

But the real winners are the recipients of more than $20,000 in grants and projects that Westport Sunrise Rotary can now fund.

A Sunrise Rotary member wrangles over 2,000 ducks before the start of the race.

Crowds gathered at Parker Harding Plaza to enjoy duck-related activities.

One of the main attractions was a vintage fire engine.

First Selectman Jim Marpe sported a Sunrise Rotary Great Duck Race hat.

It was a slow, but photo, finish near the Ruth Steinkraus Cohen Memorial Bridge.