By Marilyn Miller
The “best seats in the house” for the 7th Annual Duck Derby Extravaganza Thursday evening in downtown Minden were El Santito, Orleans on Main Bistro, Brick Street Coffee, and Roma Italian Bistro. That was, of course, for the driving sheets of rain, the streaks of lightning and winds strong enough to flatten the bouncy house!
Yep, an incoming squall just before the duck races began at 7:30 p.m. saw vendors diving to protect their wares, MOSAIC hands scattering to round up loose ducks, and people in general trying not to get soaked. The latter was pretty much a losing effort.
The pre-storm activities went off beautifully, with the opening of food trucks, vendors, two water slides, the Lil’ Quacker Children’s Parade and the Sage Community Fitness Kid’s Competition.
Also managing to beat the storm were the six candidates for the Celebrity Spaghetti-Eating Competition (see separate story).
Cotton Valley’s Braydon Watts had just begun his first set, but his popular cover solo, “Help Me Make It Through the Night” would have fallen on deaf ears. “Rainy Day in Minden” would have been a better title.
However, never let it be said that the Greater Minden Chamber of Commerce, The MOSAIC Co., and Minden city officials give up easily. When the storm finally sputtered out, the duck races began, simultaneously with a Foamtabulous Foam Party, and fireworks.
Winners of the Duck Derby were Tatum Blackwelder, $1,000; Olivia Harris, $500; and Amber Montgomery, $250.
Major contributors for the event were Pond Sponsors, b1 Bank, GBT, Under Dawgs, and Barksdale Federal Credit Union; and Duckling Sponsors, Ace Hardware, Denise Edwards, Webster Parish Assessor; Interstate Building Materials, Jeanne Martin State Farm, State Senator Adam Bass, Dist. 36; and The Villas at Spanish Court.
