Rubber ducks by the thousands splash into Chicago River for annual Special Olympics fundraiser

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A deluge of 90,000 rubber ducks poured out of a truck and into the Chicago River, then bobbed along a stretch of the skyscraper-lined river in the annual Chicago Ducky Derby that raises thousands of dollars for charity.

The truck dumped the ducks from one side of a half-raised bridge. After forming a yellow pool in the river, the ducks floated for around 15 minutes before a winner and runner-up were plucked from the water.

The annual event, a fundraiser for Special Olympics Illinois, draws thousands of participants. At an accompanying festival, participants snapped pictures with inflatable ducks and doodled on a chalkboard under the prompt, “I adopt a duck because …” Some sported rubber duck-printed shirts.

Becky Cavanagh, the Ducky Derby ambassador and a 13-year Special Olympics athlete, held up the winning duck to the cheers of crowds packed on both sides of the river.

Cavanagh said her favorite part about the Special Olympics was “making new friends.” Asked before the race how she felt about picking the winning duck, she cheered. “Woo!”

Special Olympics Illinois organizes competitions across the state for people with disabilities and special needs. It costs $10 to sponsor a “lone duck,” which will feed an athlete lunch at a competition, and $30 for a “quack pack” of six ducks, which supplies gold medals for a team. The competition has raised more than $480,000.

The sponsor of the fastest duck wins an SUV, and the runner-up will win $2,500 in cash, said Pete Beale-DelVecchio, president of Special Olympics Illinois.

“It really is a fantastic day for our athletes,” he said ahead of the race at an area next to the river, where derby attendees posed with inflatable rubber ducks and bopped along to a live DJ.

This article and video were provided by The Associated Press.

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[Giant inflated rubber duck sitting in crowd at Ducky Derby]

Peter Beale-DelVecchio (interview): “This is our 21st year of Chicago Ducky Derby. So it’s been building year over year since then. It was just a fun way to get people to interact and learn about Special Olympics Illinois and what we do. And it’s amazing the power of the rubber duck. People love rubber ducks. And so we get thousands of people to come down here, not only for the festival here at Pioneer Court.”

[Duck hats at the festival]

Peter Beale-DelVecchio (interview): “But it’s also the actual duck drop down at the river where we have the splashdown of the 85,000 plus ducks that are in that big dump truck.”

[People adopting rubber ducks for the derby]

Peter Beale-DelVecchio (interview): “The athletes love it. So it’s another day of inclusion, where they feel part of the community. Welcomed here. We have people with and without intellectual disabilities here. We have their family members here. All coming together to have this big festival, raise awareness about Special Olympics, and raise funds to support all that we do.”

[People at the festival]

Elizabeth Slama (interview): “I actually collect rubber ducks. It started off like 20 years ago and I just started collecting them. I got over 400. And then when we found out about the Special Olympics, we decided to try come and visit downtown and see what the, and it was a good cause. And so now we just come every year to support the Special Olympic and the ducks.”

[People playing games at the festival]

Elizabeth Slama (interview): “We have never won.”

Joseph Slama (interview): “But we’re going to keep trying.”

Elizabeth Slama (interview): “But we’re going to keep trying.”

[Inflated rubber duck at the event]

Becky Cavanagh (interview): “The Special Olympics is important to me because we have a lot of fun.”

[Rubber duck sales]

[Ducks going in the river]

Becky Cavanagh (interview):  “My favorite part about it is making new friends.”

[Cavanagh and Beale-DelVecchio high-fiving and celebrating the winning duck]

This script was provided by The Associated Press.

The related lesson for this video will be published next Wednesday.