By Nicole MOORE

On Saturday, the Glendale Kiwanis Club hosted its 13th annual incredible duck race at Verdugo Park. The family-oriented event was from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and offered many Halloween-themed activities for children including a Frankenstein build-a-bear booth and a zombie target toss. Additionally, the Glendale Educational Foundation, a co-host of the event, set up the Kids Fitness Challenge obstacle course for added fun.

Participants in the duck race “adopted” as many rubber ducks as they desired for $5 each. Each adopted duck had a number written on its bottom; each number corresponded to the information of the “adoptive owner.” In a series of heats, the ducks were then released into the makeshift Lake Glendale, fashioned out of blue tarps by Kiwanis members and members of the Glendale Fire Dept. At the end of the lake at the finish line, the ducks were retrieved by members of the Fremont Elementary School K-club, an after-school community service organization supported by the Kiwanis Club. The winner of each heat was then noted by the Kiwanis Club duck chairperson.

Local nonprofits encouraged supporters to adopt ducks in the name of their organizations; each nonprofit received 50% of money paid for each duck adopted for its organization. Over 20,000 ducks were adopted this year, surpassing the Kiwanis Club’s goal.

Since the beginning of this event in 2004, the Glendale Kiwanis Club has raised over $1 million. The proceeds from the Kiwanis Incredible Duck Splash have been distributed to 37 local nonprofit organizations.

“I love that everyone has a sense of giving and [all] are like-minded. [We all] want to give back to the community. There’s a strong sense of giving,” said Dr. Stacey Gin Nishi, president-elect of the Glendale Kiwanis Club, of the event.

Glendale Mayor Vartan Gharpetian shared similar sentiments regarding the KIDS.

“This is a great community event that brings families together,” he said.

The big winner of the event was Christine Smith who received $10,000. Both second place and third place winners, Teruo Watanabe and Jose Sierra, each won $1,000. The fourth and fifth place finishers, Ray Hallo and Todd Stokes, and the Quack Pack winner Claudia Sysock each received $500. For more photos, visit www.cvweekly.com/NEWS.

  Nicole MOORE