September - The North Star Monthly

26 September 2012 The North Star Monthly
The Ken-Ducky Derby
By Jean McClure
On the morning of Aug. 19, Joe’s Brook
lazily bubbled across the rocks as usual.
All appeared normal, the beginning of
another quiet, warm day in the summer of 2012.
Back in the Village of Danville, at the Prior
home, all was anything but normal, as the last
minute preparations were in progress for what
was to be the first Ken-Ducky Derby race in the
history of the Northeast Kingdom town.
Some time ago, Hollis Prior
had dreamed up an idea for
a fund raiser for the Danville
Historical Society. By two or
three weeks prior to the race,
ticket sales had far exceeded
all expectations. The lucky
owner of the winning Ducky
would receive $1,000, with
the Greenbank’s Hollow
Project receiving the same
amount!
The race
The Ken-Ducky Derby
authorities and wranglers
gathered upstream as the
photographers and press core
placed themselves at the finish
line, anxiously hoping to
get that award winning picture
of the lucky Ducky who
would cross it first. David
Houston, co-leader of the
Greenbank’s Project, made
sure the finish line was secure
and a sign designating the
winning number implanted
there for spectators to see.
All the duck wranglers had
been assigned their areas and
been given the rules. Hollis,
as grand marshall of the race,
instructed them to use poles
to push any wayward Ducky
back into the water should it
get stuck on the bank of the
brook.
The crowd had gathered by
noon on the day of the derby.
Men and women, young and
old, with children of all ages
waited for the big moment.
Many women wore the traditional
derby hats. Some folks
stood along the road chatting
and some had descended the
banks over Joe’s Brook and
stood along the water’s edge,
near the finish line, in order
to get the first glimpse of the
Duckys as they came down
the stream.
The lead duck wrangler,
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whose job it was to pluck
the winning Ducky from
the water and hand it to the
nearby judge, stood knee
deep in the cold water,
focusing his full attention
upstream, awaiting the
arrival of the competing
Duckys. He had been chosen
for this important duty
because, coming from out of
town, it was thought that he
would be impartial.
Meanwhile, upstream, 200
Duckys, which had been corralled
in a laundry basket,
were dunked into the water
by Prior. There they bobbed
nervously in the churning
waters of the starting gate,
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802-684-1200
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Serving Northern Vermont & New Hampshire
dancing anxiously in anticipation
of the race ahead. This
was the race for which they
had been born!
Then, the signal was given.
The Duckys were on their
way downstream. Soon the
spectators along the way
could see the stream appear
to turn yellow as the group
of Duckys came into view.
As they approached the rocks
along the way, the crowd collectively
held their breath as
the Duckys darted in and out
and around those impediments
before the current once
again took them on their way.
Finally the big moment
came when some of the
Duckys reached the final lap
of the race and the excitement
of the crowd became
intense; many cheering for
the number of their Ducky.
And then, surging forward
and away from the others,
the winner boldly and swiftly
swam under the finishing
line. What a moment for all
as that Daring Ducky, number
94 belonging to Jenness
Ide, was declared the winner.
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