IDAHO FALLS - Classic car, motorcyclists, and drag racing enthusiasts, this event’s for you! The Idaho Falls Rotary Club is kicking off the 30th annual Great Snake River Greenbelt Duck Race with pre-race activities this Friday night.
Bring your classic or custom car, truck, or motorcycle and join them for a Classic Car Cruise beginning at 6 p.m. The Cruise will start at the city’s newest park - Heritage Park, located on the west side of the river in Snake River Landing. Access to Heritage Park is off of Snake River Parkway near The Waterfront. Participants will cruise through downtown as a group and collect poker cards during the poker run. More information about the poker run will be provided upon arrival.
The Cruise and Poker Run will end at Idaho Falls Cars and Trucks, 880 W. Broadway where the public is invited to join cruise participants for dinner and awards at 6:30 p.m. Free hamburgers will be provided by Sam’s Club, and live music will be provided by a local favorite – the 40 Somethin’ Band, sponsored by Wheeler Electric.
New this year is a Ford vs. Ferrari exhibition and Steve Cook Racing Dragster Demonstration which will take place on Denver Street behind Idaho Falls Cars and Trucks at approximately 6:45 p.m.
The main event – the Great Snake River Greenbelt – happens Saturday, Aug. 14 on the west side of the river from the Broadway Bridge north to the John’s Hole Bridge.
The Idaho Falls Rotary Club will host a variety of events for all ages, including speedboat racing beginning at 9:30 a.m. Other fun events include a muscle man semi pull, car show, Home Depot build-it workshop, Cabela’s kid-friendly archery, military flyover, helicopter and Idaho Falls Fire Department ladder truck display, car show, food vendors, and more!
“Thanks to a very generous community and our sponsors, we are pleased to announce that we are very close to having all 19,000 ducks adopted,” states Idaho Falls Rotarian Kerry Hammon. “Now that we’ve moved to online adoptions, the ducks are getting adopted much faster so we encourage people to get their ducks early next year.”
This year’s Grand Prize is a 2014 Jeep Rubicon, graciously donated by Idaho Falls Cars & Truck. The 1st Place Prize is 2021 Polaris Sportsman HD 4 wheeler, graciously donated by Idaho Central Credit Union. The Second Place Prize is $3,000 in jewelry donated by Alpine Jewelers. Other prizes include golf passes donated by the City of Idaho Falls, $1,000 in gift certificates from Sam's Club, $1,000 in fuel donated by KJ's Super Stores, and more! Participants can win multiple prizes.
The famous duck drop will occur at 4 p.m. just north of The Falls overlook, near the Best Western Driftwood Inn. The first ducks to drop over the falls will be the winners of the 2021 Duck Race! Winners will be announced on the Great Snake River Greenbelt Duck Race and Idaho Falls Rotary Club Facebook pages, as well as local media outlets.
Over 30 years, more than $5.5 million has been raised – with matching funds from the City of Idaho Falls. All proceeds go toward improvements to the River Walk/Greenbelt.
“Over the past five years, the funds have gone specifically to the development of the city’s newest park along the River Walk – Heritage Park. Everybody's a winner when it comes to the duck race because the funds allow us to make future improvements to the heart of our city," explains Hammon.
Ducks can be adopted online, at Idaho Falls Cars and Trucks, at any Idaho Central Credit Union location in Idaho Falls, Albertsons, Sam’s Club, and the Farmer’s Market.