Don't duck this fundraiser: Tularosa kicks off inaugural rubber ducky race

Five hundred rubber duckies will race down Tularosa’s acequias Saturday in an effort to educate the public about the historic agricultural infrastructure.

“In this oasis in the desert, the water has always provided a lifeline,” said Toby Pruett, committee co-chair of the first-ever Tularosa Duck Race, which kicks off at 11 a.m. at the St. Francis Catholic School grounds, with races in the nearby acequias.

The event will feature live music, educational displays, vendors and games for children.

To participate in the races, people can sponsor one racing duck for $5 or sponsor six ducks — a “six quack,” if you will — for $25. There will be five heats of duck racing, with cash prizes for each heat’s podium winners. First place will receive $50, second $25, and third $15, said Jen Gruger, the president of the Tularosa Arts and History Council.

The winner of the final round, where all 500 duckies will flood the acequia vying for first place, will receive a $250 cash prize.

Tularosa’s Arts and History Council and the Tularosa Community Ditch Corp. are teaming up to host the event, and all proceeds will go to their organizations to fund further education efforts.

Farmers and ranchers in the south-central New Mexico town have long relied on the historic acequia system, Gruger said. The 27-mile system predates the Land of Enchantment’s induction into statehood in 1912 by more than 50 years and is one of the largest ditch networks in the state.

Today, the acequias make growing crops like apples, pecans, chile and many other agricultural products possible, she said.

The event “will provide an opportunity to inspire while educating our younger generation on the importance of our historical way of life … ,” Pruett said. “We all might just have a little fun doing it, too.”