The Kiwanis Duck Race will take place as scheduled on Labor day
Don’t give up on summer just yet
It may seem, in this listless summer of COVID-19, like everything has been canceled.
Not quite, or at least not entirely. Winthrop Kiwanis, Classroom in Bloom and the Winthrop Chamber of Commerce all are sponsoring events that you can ink into your appointment calendars.
Still afloat
More than 2,000 little plastic ducks will again take a deep dive off the Chewuch River bridge in Winthrop for the annual Winthrop Kiwanis Duck Race on Labor Day (Monday, Sept. 7). Buckets full of dapper ducks, each sporting a sailor cap and scarf, will be emptied off the bridge at noon.
The annual spectacle — a silent, motley flotilla of yellow ducks bobbing past the confluence to the Methow River bridge finish line — is an annual fundraiser for the service organization. The Duck Race is especially important this year because two other Kiwanis fundraising events — Bite of the Methow and food sales during Winthrop ’49er Days — were canceled.
This year’s Winthrop Vintage Wheels Show will be a virtual affair.
Each duck is painted with a number associated with an entry ticket. If your duck wins — that is, somehow manages to catch the right currents and ripples — your $3 ticket pays off with a $400 prize. The second-place duck earns $200, the third-place duck is worth $100, and fourth and fifth places are good for $50 each.
At the finish line, a crew of duck wranglers wade into the Methow River to capture the plucky floaters before they can head for Twisp, Pateros or parts beyond.
Tickets can be purchased at The Tenderfoot in Winthrop, Twisp NAPA, or from any Kiwanis member.
The ducks don’t need social distancing or protective face masks, but people will, so be prepared.
Dinner baskets
Classroom In Bloom’s Farm to Fork Fundraiser is a virtual event this year. Purchase a Harvest Dinner Basket for yourself, or buy one to donate to a family in need through Room One. All proceeds benefit garden education programs at Classroom in Bloom.
Harvest baskets are $30 for an individual, or $100 for a family of four, plus small handling fees. The baskets include: fresh local produce to make your own ratatouille dinner at home from Classroom in Bloom, Hoodoo Blooms Farm, Red Shed Farm, Willowbrook Farms, Kings Garden, Sabold Farm and Smallwood Farms; Einkorn/wild rice blend from Bluebird Grain Farms; a sea salt baguette from the Mazama Store; a Classroom in Bloom logo glass; a dessert sampler by Stew Dietz Catering, Barbara Tennant, Nancy Pfeiffer and Steve Morse, and Cinnamon Twisp Bakery; and a recipe card.
Order at http://www.classroominbloom.org/farm-to-fork. The baskets can be picked on Saturday, Aug. 29, from 2-5 p.m. at the Classroom in Bloom garden on the Methow Valley School District campus. Those picking up baskets are also welcome to join a 10-minute socially distanced tour of the garden and greenhouse (masks required).
“We had to change the direction of our event from a two-day garden tour fundraising event to a harvest basket fundraiser per COVID-19,” Classroom in Bloom Executive Director Kim Romain-Bondi said in an email. “We didn’t want to drop the whole event so we have morphed it to make it coronavirus-safe.”
Different way to roll
The annual Winthrop Vintage Wheels Show, originally scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 12, is moving off of Riverside and Castle Avenues, and on to the Winthrop Chamber of Commerce Facebook page.
Entrants in the virtual “event” can pay a $3 entry fee and email a photo and description of their car to the Chamber of Commerce. Online voting for favorites will begin this month. The first 50 participants will receive a magnetic dash plaque, and the winners will receive trophies.
For information about how to enter, email info@winthropwashington.com or visit https://www.winthropwashington.com/wheels-show.
