Frequently Asked Questions

Race Logistics

When is it?

June 21, 2009
The Festival starts 11:00 AM.
The main duck race with 15,000 ducks starts at 1:00 PM.
We will award the prizes immediately after the race.

Where is it?

Vasona Lake Park
333 Blossom Hill Road
Los Gatos, CA 95032
See map

Does it cost anything to attend?

Attending the Silicon Valley Duck Race is free.

Where do people park?

There is plenty of free parking on the adjacent streets to Vasona Park. We will also have several free parking lots reserved at local businesses.

The county charges $6 to park at Vasona Lake Park.

Are they real ducks?

No, they are special rubber ducks designed for racing.

How does it work?

We will drop 15,000 rubber ducks into the creek from a big dump truck. They will drift downstream into Vasona Lake where we will capture them in a prize picking net.

What happens to the ducks afterwards?

We catch all the ones we launch and return them.

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The Festival

What can I expect at the festival?

It will be a family-friendly fun event with 20 carnival games, arts & crafts, 2 bounce houses, a climbing wall, balloon artists, a science project from Youth Science Institute, a building project from Home Depot, games from The Wooden Horse, and other fun surprises.

What food will be available?

Hamburgers, hot dogs, falafel, vegetarian options, cotton candy, snow cones, cold drinks, and ice cream.

What entertainment will be available?

We will have a DJ for the preliminary races and Scott McGrew of NBC11 will be emceeing the main event.

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Duck Adoptions

How do they work?

Each adoption paper has a unique number. This is assigned randomly to a duck that is racing. You can adopt ducks by sending in the envelope portion of the adoption paper or by adopting online.

Thank for your interest in adopting a duck.

ONLINE ADOPTIONS for 2009 will open in May, 2009.

There will be more opportunities to win great prizes at the race.

Who gets the money?

Proceeds from duck adoptions benefit several local charities.

How much money are you planning on raising?

We sold out all the 10,000 ducks last year! So this year, we will offer 15,000 ducks!

Can I adopt more than one duck?

Yes. There are packages where you get free ducks for every 5 you adopt.

Can I adopt ducks and give them as gifts?

Yes. Just purchase as you would for yourself. You can tell your gift recipients the numbers.

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Prizes

How do people win?

When you adopt a duck, you get a number. If the duck with the winning number places in the top 20, you receive the corresponding prize.

What sorts of prizes are there?

Click to see descriptions of all the prizes.

How do people claim their prizes?

We will award most prizes shortly after the race. If you are not present, we will either mail you the prize or make arrangements for you to pick it up at the JFS office in Los Gatos. Prizes not claimed within 30 days will go to the next winner. We will post the winners' names on the web site after the race.

Can someone really win $1 million?

Yes. If you hold the number of the million dollar duck, and your duck places in the million dollar spot, you will win $1 million. The award is paid in installments, similar to a lottery ticket.

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