You get the feeling 8-year-old Edyn Gallagher will handle whatever life throws at her.
Still grinning, she was asked about her plans for the $60 she won during the Lake Leelanau Labor Day bridge walk and rubber duck derby.
“I’m putting it in my piggy bank,” she said. “I’m saving for a car.”
That put a smile on the face of “grandpa” Bob Dembowske of Suttons Bay, who with his wife, Dee, had gathered up the family to enjoy a morning on the town of Lake Leelanau.
“This is our first time for the duck race. That was pretty fun. The kids were all fired up about it,” he said.
While community bridge walks have sprung up across Michigan to replicate on a miniature scale the granddaddy of them all, the Mackinaw Bridge Walk, an online search found none that combined the suspense of a rubber duck derby with a jaunt over a diminutive bridge. It’s the brainchild of the Lake Leelanau Community Association.
After the walk, which held up traffic for just a few minutes, folks enjoyed an accordion and mandolin duet with Sandy Dhuyvetter and George Powell played behind Boathouse Vineyards. Then a tub with yellow ducks was flipped upside down from atop the M-204 bridge.
And off they went. “I remember the first race, the ducks went the wrong way,” reflected Dave Albert, owner of Boathouse Vineyards, about a rather dubious start to the duck race tradition. The Narrows current was no match for a strong north wind, requiring a spontaneous decision to move the finish line before the race could end.
Luckily, all went as planned for the 2024 duck race. Labor Day walkers watched the duckies float along for 25 yards or so before passing under a rope held up by a couple of kayakers. Eventually all the ducks were netted and the winning entries announced.
Well, they weren’t all winners by normal racing standards. Placing last but still awarded a duckie nightlight was Ezlyn Houdek, granddaughter of diligent Community Association volunteer Madeline Houdek.
Placing second was Julie Gaertner, with Gallagher’s duck first in a close finish. In an ode to their efforts, both ducks were officially retired and taken home by their new owners.
The pace was frenetic, at least by historical standards.
“The event was another success, with over 150 bridge walkers and 123 rubber duckies raced,” said Mary Lingaur, president of the Lake Leelanau Community Association. “This year, the ducks sprinted across the finish line in under five minutes — a record for our event.”
Lingaur went on to thank Leland Township Fire and Rescue, the county Sheriff’s Office, and the county Emergency Management office for their help in running a safe event.
“And of course a big thank you to our community for their supporting our mission to better the village of Lake Leelanau,” Lingaur added.
