A crowd of people went to Holiday Springs Water Park to watch rubber ducks race to a finish line.

The Christus St. Michael Annual Duck Race was held at the Holiday Inn Waterpark on Aug. 18 from 8-9:45 a.m.

“This year, the money will go toward our 3D mammography services and upgrading them to the new HD models,” event organizer and coordinator Cristy Lumman said.

To compete in the races, rubber ducks were sold for $5 each or $25 for six ducks, while T-shirts were sold for $16. Altogether, the race raised a total of more than $50,000. This year, an approximate 11,000 ducks floated through Holiday Springs’ lazy river, the River Rapids, into a duck trap. The owner of the first duck to reach the trap won a 2018 Kia Forte.    

“This is our 29th duck race, so next year will be our 30th anniversary. It is one of Texarkana’s oldest fundraisers,” Cristy Lumman “Over the years, the races have raised $1.6 million in funds toward Christus St. Michael’s.

The race for this year was a huge success, raising over $50,000 for the Christus St. Michael’s hospital. Patsy Carver was the first place winner of the 2018 Kia Forte, and Joyce Jegason, the second place winner, was the recipient of the $1,000 Dillard’s gift certificate. Don Rollins was the third place winner of the $1,000 Holiday Cleaners gift certificate, Miller, James, Miller & Hornsby LLP walked away as the fourth place winners of the $500 Super 1 Foods gift card, and ending in fifth place, Julie Sinha is now the proud owner of a 65 Tundra Yeti Cooler from Ledwell Machinery.