The Duck Race is Migrating to East Peoria

The 27^th Annual Duck Race, to benefit The Center for Prevention of Abuse, is on the move. This year’s race will now be held at the Eastside Centre in East Peoria and will feature 30,000 ducks floating down a hill on a slip-n-slide.

The duck race has traditionally been conducted on the Illinois River just off the Peoria riverfront. Due to volatile weather, the river and riverfront have been flooded for much of the summer. While the waters have receded for now, the river is still higher than usual and there is a risk more rain could cause another flood. That risk is too great when it comes to the duck race. It is the biggest fundraiser each year for The Center for Prevention of Abuse.

“We are thrilled to bring the Duck Race to East Peoria this year,” said Center for Prevention of Abuse Executive Director Carol Merna. “Mayor Dave Mingus and the rest of the great people in East Peoria have always been very supportive of The Center in the past and they showed that support once again by welcoming us with open arms.”

Officials from the City of East Peoria, the East Peoria Chamber of Commerce and Eastside Centre stepped up and quickly agreed to host the race when alternate locations were being discussed.

“Having the Duck Race in East Peoria truly symbolizes our continual support of the great work done by the Center for Prevention of Abuse,” said East Peoria Mayor Dave Mingus.

The race will take place on the street leading down to Eastside Centre. 30,000 rubber ducks will be put in a dump truck and driven to the top of the hill. They will then be dumped onto the makeshift slide-n-slide and sprayed down the street with a fire hose. The ducks will travel over 750-feet down the slip-n-slide before stopping at the bottom of the hill.

The 27^th annual Duck Race takes place on August 29 at 2pm at Eastside Centre. Race activities begin at noon that day. Everyone is welcome to come out and see the new race format and enjoy a great afternoon at Eastside Centre. Ducks for this year’s race are on sale now. They can be purchased by visiting DuckRacePeoria.com or by stopping by one of our many sales locations. The money raised from the race goes to fund the programs and services provided by The Center for Prevention of Abuse. The Center helps anyone affected by domestic violence, sexual assault, sexual abuse and elder abuse. The elder abuse program includes services for adults of all ages with disabilities who are victims of abuse.

The Center also offers Prevention Education. The goal of the prevention educators is to teach children, families and professional staff about things to look for to prevent or stop the various forms of abuse. This includes classes about building healthy relationships, preventing teen dating violence and anti-bullying. The Prevention program partners with over 100 schools and agencies to keep children safe.