2024 Duck Race becomes Duck SPLASH!

Monticello Riverfest’s Duck Drop committee announces changes to this year’s annual duck race.

“Ah, Minnesota life. If there are two things you cannot plan around when organizing a summer festival in Minnesota, it is the unpredictable weather and road construction. It seems the Riverfest committee has been dealt both cards this year in regard to the Riverfest duck race.

Annually, the ducks are dropped off the Highway 25 bridge from our creatively built drop boxes, where they are escorted down river to the Ellison Park collection site. Due to the bridge maintenance, the bridge is not accessible for our crew to setup the drop boxes. With the Mississippi River being so high and with strong currents, it is also difficult to manage the boats to effectively manage and collect the ducks post-race.

The Duck Drop committee has come up with an exciting alternative in cooperation with the Monticello Community Center and the Royal Ambassador committee. On Saturday, July 13, shortly after 3:30 p.m., all 5,000 Riverfest ducks will be placed in the Community Center swimming pool. At 4:30 p.m. the current Royal Ambassadors will be invited to join the ducks via the pool slide. This event can be witnessed from the hallway windows of the Community Center, as no access will be allowed to the pool deck. Once the Splash has been completed, ducks will be selected by the Ambassadors and registered poolside by a committee representative. The winners will be announced at the Saturday night Street Dance and posted on the Riverfest website.

It is regretful that we cannot bring the normal race festivities to the community this year, but we hope this will be a fun alternative.

Thanks to all for your donations, and commitment to keep our annual festival vibrant, as the donations from this event are a vital part of bringing the weekend entertainment for all to enjoy.

See you at Riverfest!”

—The Monticello Riverfest Duck Drop committee