A Duck Takes To Water: Sunny Sets Sail On The Saugatuck River In Westport

WESTPORT, Conn. — Sunny the Duck seems determined to put on a show as he floats about the Saugatuck River in Westport to promote next week's Great Duck Race.

Sunny the Duck, the mascot of the Great Duck Race run by Westport Sunrise Rotary, floats about the Saugatuck on a breezy Friday afternoon.

Photo Credit: Daily Voice Gold Coast

Sunny the Duck, the mascot of the Great Duck Race run by Westport Sunrise Rotary, gets soaked in the Saugatuck River on Thursday afternoon.
Photo Credit: *Karen Tensa*

A team in a canoe sets out to set Sunny upright while a swan swims for closer look. Sunny is the mascot of a the Westport Sunrise Rotary and its Great Duck Race.
Photo Credit: *Karen Tensa*

It's a miserable rainy May day, so why not stand in the Saugatuck River and untangle ropes on a giant duck?
Photo Credit: *Karen Tensa*

Sunny the Duck on a sunnier day!
Photo Credit: *Westport Sunrise Rotary/Facebook*

Karen Tensa

05/27/2017 5:00 a.m.

The giant yellow waterfowl ended up on his side and beaten down by heavy rain on Thursday.

But on Friday, which was bright and breezy, Sunny was floating and swirling about the Saugatuck River. He drew admiring grins from passersby even though he was still stuck on his side.

Maybe it was the sun, but the sight was more fun than Thursday, when a rescue team set out in a canoe to untangle the ropes that anchor Sunny in the river.

The Great Duck Race is an annual fundraiser run by the Westport Sunrise Rotary. It is set for Saturday, June 3. The fun starts at 9 a.m. and continues until 2 p.m. at Parker Harding Plaza in downtown Westport.

For the big race, over 2,000 rubber ducks will be dumped into the Saugatuck at 11:30 a.m. by a front loader, which is quite a sight to behold. The race starts at noon.

A total of $10,000 in prizes will be awarded.

The event is great for families, with a bouncy house, nerdy derby, tennis ball toss, fire trucks, duck decorating, face painting and more, along with food and drinks.

One of this year's sponsors is Stew Leonard's, which promotes swimming safety with its own duck mascot, Stewie the Duck.

For more information on the Great Duck Race, click here to visit the Westport Sunrise Rotary website.

Click here to follow Daily Voice Westport and receive free news updates.