THERE'VE BEEN MANY GOOD THINGS... to be found in the rivers of Gold Country. Most famously, and probably not in need of a "spoiler alert," is gold, but we'll rank kayaks and waders and fish and pretty stones pretty high, too. And, if you keep watch, and wait for a special occasion, and keep an eye on certain creeks and spots, you might just seen a whole caboodle of colorful rubber ducks. The birdly toys are part of the annual Gold Country Rubber Duck Race, which is organized by the 49er Rotary Club. That means that the money that goes into the sponsoring of a duck -- five bucks for a single quacker, if you're curious -- goes on to help a host of organizations and programs and scholarships in the region.
SUNDAY, SEPT. 13... is the date and the spot is Deer Creek in Nevada City. If you're planning on attending the well-loved Nevada City Film Festival, which is one of the most hill-lovely, indie-riffic, funky-fun movie parties in the state, then you'll likely still be around the town when duck bottoms meet the gentle waves of Deer Creek. But figuring out how many ducks you want to sponsor ahead of time is a-ok, as a little pre-planning will prevent you from sweating the issue there.
CALIFORNIA QUACK-QUACK: Our state has been home to a number of headline-making charitable rubber duck races, from the mondo rubber duck drop off the pier at Huntington Beach to the now-ended Silicon Valley float fest to the end-of-September rubber duck showdown in Valencia. It makes total sense that Gold Country, with all of its lovely, burbling creeks and big-hearted, let's-help organizations, would also have its own. Headed to the film fest? Just love being up in the hills when early fall starts to set in? Sponsor a duck and lend some love to all the good things that help people out around the area.
