NOMES LABOR DAY RUBBER DUCK RACE.

• Author: PILKINGTON, STEVE
• Position: Brief Article

After the long days of summer, with the inherent fishing, fairs and picnics, a little bizarre fun before the colder season settles into the far North is nothing new for Labor Day in Nome.

September is usually a time for marathons, races and climbing in Alaska. Annual races such as the Running of the Boots in Sitka and the Equinox Marathon in Fairbanks are healthy ways to get in a foot race and get outdoors before winter and darkness take over. Even Nome holds the Bathtub Race, covered in "Alaska This Month" in the past, which puts participants to the test down Front Street each Labor Day.

But Nome also holds a unique contest each year, offering the chance to make a little (or a lot) of money for a good cause, and the winnings are open to anyone interested from around the country.

Nome's Labor Day Rubber Duck Race is not one of Alaska's more famous contests. But it still has a charm of its own. Each year, hundreds of numbered rubber ducks are poured into the Snake River-and with some strategic help from the river and plenty of luck, the winnings are worth the effort.

Last year, more than 1,730 tickets, purchased for $5 each, were sold for the event Each numbered ticket corresponds to a numbered rubber duck entered in the race.

The ducks are dumped into the river about 200 yards upstream from the bridge that crosses from the airport road over toward the port.

"From there, Mother Nature, tides and currents take over," said Richard Harris, president of the Nome Rotary Club, which sponsors the event. "It's an easy, fun way to raise funds for nonprofit."

The...