Have you ever seen 5,000 yellow rubber duckies race around a pond? Well, now’s your chance with Walton County’s first-ever Duck Olympics. This inaugural event will be held in Seaside on April 5, 2015 (Easter Sunday).

Guests will be able to adopt a duck — or an entire flock — and cheer them on as a 4-mile-per-hour current races them around a huge lazy river set up on Seaside’s Lyceum Lawn. Funds raised during the race will benefit Special Olympics Florida of Walton County. For more than 40 years, Special Olympics Florida has been spreading the message that people with intellectual disabilities can and will succeed when given the chance.

This is a great new event for the 30A area, and we encourage fans to mark their calendars now and support this special cause on April 5!

Currently, 59 Walton County Special Olympics athletes ages 8 and up are participating in six sports, including the popular paddle board program. Some of those athletes will participate in a demonstration during the event. For the athletes, any of the sports greatly improve their lives, said Nancy Simpler who has been involved with the program for about six years.

“It teaches them sportsmanship; it teaches them what their abilities are,” she said. “To see the advancement they make with these (sports)—it changes your life.”

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Walton County Special Olympics Director Damien McNeil said organizers are hopeful this event will draw people to the program.

“We have an ambitious plan to double the number of athletes participating and sports offered by the end of next year,” he said.

When: Sunday, April 5, from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Where: The Lyceum Lawn in Seaside. The event is FREE and open to the public.

How: Adopt a luck duck or an entire flock. You could win a YOLO Board or one of many other great prizes. The more ducks you adopt, the better your chances of winning.

Single Duck: 1 duck for $5.00

Quack Pack: 5 ducks for $20.00

Flock of Ducks: 13 ducks for $50.00

Note: Ducks can also be reserved in advance online here. Participants don’t have to be present to win.

To participate in the fundraiser, please visit Duck Olympics.