SCAN Duck race raises record amount

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) - There were several firsts in the 24th annual SCAN duck race on Saturday. There was a record amount of money raised and the ducks had to deal with drought conditions.

The goal for the event was to raise $153,000 and the final total was $162,592.

"We can't be more grateful for the community support. It says something about Fort Wayne placing their priorities with children," Jennifer Boen, the communications manager for SCAN, said.

The money will help with efforts to prevent child abuse and neglect.

As usual, thousands of ducks were dumped into the St. Joseph River. There were 18,005 ducks this year. But different than in years past, this year the ducks didn't go down river.

"We usually put the ducks below the dam and then open the flood gates to push the ducks along, but this year the city wouldn't open the dam because of the low water level," Boen explained.

The solution came with large industrial fans. They were used to blow the ducks across the river.

"That was a real shock to us, we were not expecting this. Two years ago the ducks floated over the finish line because the water was so high," Boen said.

R.E. Crosby Inc. and Son Construction donated the fans and Weigand Construction supplied the generators.

The first 24 ducks to cross the finish line win prizes. The first place winner get $5,000 and second place gets $1,000.

Last year SCAN helped more than 28,000 children and adults in 19 counties in northeast and north central Indiana.