Duck Days this weekend
Winthrop Kiwanis Duck Days, two days of family-friendly activities capped by the annual Labor Day Duck Race, are set for Labor Day weekend, Sept. 3-4.
Duck Days will again offer a variety of attractions in Mack Lloyd Park on Sunday, Sept. 3, from noon-4 p.m., including food, music, games, crafts, a dunk tank and duck bingo.
The Duck Race is on for Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 4. The race typically begins at noon when a couple of thousand plastic ducks are dumped from the Chewuch River bridge in Winthrop for a journey through the confluence before reaching the finish line at the Methow River bridge.
Tickets are now on sale for entrants in the Duck Race, online at winthropkiwanis.com or look for the giant inflated duck at places around the valley to buy your tickets from a Kiwanis member. Tickets are $5. Corporate entries will be available as well.
If your duck wins, your ticket pays off with a cash prize. Prizes are also awarded for second through fifth places. First prize is $500; 2nd prize, $300; 3rd prize; $100; 4th and 5th prizes, $50.
Book sale FRIDAY, SATURDAY
Twisp Library Friends is sponsoring a Labor Day weekend Twisp Library Book Sale in the Methow Valley Community Center gym on Friday, Sept. 1, from 4-7 p.m., and Saturday, Sept. 2, from 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. For information, call (509) 449-2594.
Learn about lynx
The Methow Conservancy’s next “First Tuesday” presentation, on Sept. 5, is “Lynx and Wildfire in the Methow Valley.” The free event starts at 7 p.m. at the Winthrop Barn. Carmen Vanbianchi, research director and co-founder of Home Range Wildlife, will give an overview of the organization’s research so far including stories from the field, images of the three adults that were live-trapped during the winter field season, and a demonstration of how live traps work to safely capture and release these charismatic cats. For information, visit https://methowconservancy.org/news/category/events.
Celebrate recovery with OBHC
The public is invited to celebrate Okanogan Behavioral Healthcare’s (OBHC) recovery programs and services at the Road to Recovery, a free community event on Friday, Sept. 22.
The carnival-themed event will include booths with fun activities, including a dunk-tank fundraiser, games and prizes. There will also be a special presentation.
Free popcorn has been donated by Omak & Mirage theaters. What’cha Want Teriyaki is donating a free teriyaki dinner for the first 200 people. Cotton candy and shaved ice will also be available.
The event is a local celebration of National Recovery Month.
Road to Recovery is at OBHC at 1007 Koala Drive in Omak from 4 to 7 p.m. For more information, contact cbranch@okbhc.org.
Homestream celebration
For your future planning: This year’s “Coming Home Celebration” at Homestream Park in Winthrop will be on Sunday, Oct. 8, from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. The event, which honors the returning salmon, will include food, music, stories and updates on the park’s future. For information, visit http://homestreampark.com.
According to its website, Homestream Park, which opened in 2019, “is dedicated to the rivers and fish of the Methow Valley, and to the native people, past and present, who have called this place home for thousands of years.” It includes a trail with benches along the river, sculptures by Smoker Marchand, a tipi, and a public gathering area with shelters, picnic tables, interpretive signs, and a kid’s lookout topped with wood carved osprey by Bruce Morrison. The land is being restored to its natural riparian and floodplain condition.
