Great River Ducky Derby 2025
Great River Ducky Derby 2025
Raising funds for accessible and inclusive music education in our community
Saturday, August 30, 2025 – Credit Island Park – 6:30pm
The Great River Ducky Derby returns for its second year!
It’s a rat race… No! It’s actually a Duck Race. A Rubber Ducky Derby to be exact! Help Common Chord celebrate its 21st year by adopting a duck (or 3 or 7 or more!) for a chance to win top prizes of $1,000 cash, $500 cash, or a year of free Redstone Room concerts for two!
Proceeds from the Ducky Derby support Common Chord’s music education programs, providing inclusive and accessible music education and enrichment experiences to kids all over the Quad Cities.
Don’t forget to join us for the big race on Saturday, August 30, 2025 at 6:30pm at Davenport’s Credit Island Park. Watch your duck compete by floating to the finish line fastest! Then stick around for an awesome concert in the park from “Steely Dane”, a Steely Dan tribute band.
Special thanks to our partners at Living Lands and Waters for their assistance in corralling the ducks to ensure the cleanliness of our river!
NEW THIS YEAR: TEAM COMPETITIONS!
Gather your coworkers or compatriots and sign up as a business/organization team! Each individual registration can list your team. The team with the most duck adoptions by August 29 at 5pm wins!
Team prize: Free party in the Redstone Room for your business/organization with live music included!
How It Works
1. Adopt your ducks online or at any in-person event this summer (Live At 5, Music at the Market, and more!)
2. Within 2-3 days after your adoption, you will receive an email with your duck number(s) and more information about the event.
3. On August 30th at 6:30pm, cheer on your ducks as they race down the Mississippi at Credit Island!
4. Winners will be announced at the race and online. Winners will also be notified by phone or email within two days.
PRIZES
1st Place: $1,000 cash prize
2nd Place: $500 cash prize
3rd Place: 1 year of free Redstone Room admission for two
*See below for Official Rules*
Take Home a Souvenir Duck!
$5 along with any adoption
As a keepsake item from the inaugural Great River Ducky Derby, two souvenir ducks are available!
Jimi Hendrake and Quacky G are available at any in-person adoption events, including Music at the Freight House Farmer’s Market (Saturdays 10am-1pm and Sundays 11am-1pm) and Live At 5 free concert series in the Skybridge Courtyard (Fridays 5pm-7pm). *Only available along with an adoption.
FAQs
What time will the winners be picked?
The ducks begin their race at 6:30 PM from the Credit Island boat ramp. Winners will be announced once the first three ducks cross the finish line and are verified. Then stick around for the Steely Dan tribute concert starting at 7pm for music, food, and fun!
Are there Great River Ducky Derby souvenir ducks for sale?
Yes, you can purchase a souvenir duck for $5 along with the adoption of any duck(s).
Can I adopt a duck for my child?
Due to state regulations, duck adoptions must be made in the name of an adult, age 18 or older.
Are they real ducks or rubber ducks?
Rubber ducks!
What happens to all the ducks after the race?
Thanks to the assistance of our partners at Living Lands and Waters, we’re ensuring there will be no negative impact on our beautiful Mississippi River. The ducks are ALL removed from the water by volunteers and staff, stored, and reused annually.
Once I adopt a duck, do I get to keep it?
No, you don’t get to keep the race duck that you purchased for the race. If you’d like to take a rubber duck home, you can purchase a souvenir duck at an in-person event.
How will I know if my duck wins? Do I need to be present to win?
No, you can win from home! We will contact you if you have one of the top prizes.
Is there an admission fee for the Duck Derby?
The Ducky Derby is free! However, to enter the Derby you must adopt duck(s) for the fees listed above.
Can I adopt ducks on race day?
Yes! Adoptions will be available at the race location only, until 6:00pm August 30th. Online adoptions end at 5:00pm August 29th.
Official Rules:
- The Great River Ducky Derby (“Derby”) is a random drawing raffle; it is sponsored by and all net proceeds benefit Common Chord (“Sponsor”), 129 N. Main Street, Davenport, IA 52801. Sponsor is a registered 501(c)(3).
- The Derby is open to persons age 18 and over, unless noted otherwise. Employees of Sponsor are not eligible to win. By participating, entrants agree to be bound by these Official Rules and the decisions of the Sponsor, which are binding and final on matters relating to this sweepstakes. All federal, state and local laws apply. Void where prohibited. Raffle purchases are not tax deductible.
- To enter, eligible entrants must purchase a raffle chance (“adopt a duck”) at $10 each as outlined in promotional material online (at www.commonchordqc.org) or at various events and at race site or via mail, by form available from Sponsor or through promotional partners. Online entries must be received by August 29, 2025. Adoptions may be suspended at any time by Sponsor. Completed form and payment may be mailed to Common Chord, 129 N. Main Street, Davenport, IA 52801 and must be received by August 25, 2025 to be considered eligible. Entries received after the deadline will be processed as a donation to Common Chord.
- Odds of winning depend on the total number of qualified entries. All adopted ducks will be launched on the Mississippi River at Credit Island Park at approximately 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, August 30, 2025, in Davenport, Iowa. Date and location are subject to change without notice. No attempt to free or interfere with any duck will be permitted, unless deemed necessary by Sponsor. Sponsor reserves the right to manually maneuver rubber ducks along the course and terminate the race and determine the winners by random selection. Only rubber ducks provided by Sponsor will be entered, and all ducks remain the property of Sponsor.
- Prizes will be awarded in order to eligible entrants, as name appears on adoption form or online entry, whose entry number corresponds with number of the first three (3) rubber ducks in order of finish. Winners are responsible for all possible taxes, fees and costs associated with or related to the acceptance and use of the prizes not specified herein. In addition, winners must supply taxpayer identification number (Social Security number) prior to receipt of the prizes. Acceptance of prizes offered constitutes permission to use winner’s name and/or likeness for advertising purposes without further compensation necessary, unless prohibited by applicable law.
- Grand Prize: $1,000 Cash Prize
- Second Prize: $500 Cash Prize
- Third Prize: One Year of Free Redstone Room Concert Tickets (and guest)
- The Business / Organization Competition runs from June 1 – August 30 and is available to those entities that have pre-registered. The winner is the highest number of adopted ducks assigned to the Business or Organization Team and will receive a Free Event Rental with Live Music at Common Chord.
- Winner need not be present to win. Winners will be notified by telephone, email or U.S. mail at the phone or email address indicated on entry form or provided online. Winners will be announced on the Great River Ducky Derby event website at www.commonchordqc.org as soon as all the winners have been verified. In the case of insufficient contact information and/or if Sponsor is unable to contact winner and if winner does not contact Sponsor to claim prize within 15 days (September 13, 2025) of race date at 129 N. Main Street, Davenport, IA 52801, or if winner is deemed ineligible to win, Sponsor may select alternate winner through random drawing of entries.
- By entering, winners consent to use of name, address and likeness for advertising, promotion and publicity purposes without additional compensation. No substitutions, cash equivalent prizes, transfer or exchange of prizes will be provided in lieu of prizes. Sponsor reserves the right to substitute if advertised prizes become unavailable.
- Sponsor reserves the right to cancel the Derby or change any element thereof, with or without notice, at any time, for any reason. Should the Derby be cancelled at any time for any reason, Sponsor reserves the right to select winners in a random drawing from among entries received.
- Entrants agree to be bound by these Rules and all decisions of Sponsor are final and binding. Each entrant agrees to release, indemnify and hold harmless Sponsor and their respective parents, subsidiaries and affiliates and each of their respective officers, directors, employees, representatives and agents from and against any liability, action, loss, damage or claim arising in any way from participation in or administration of this Raffle or with respect to the awarding, receipt, possession, use and/or misuse of any prize.
- All logos are registered trademarks of Sponsor and use is prohibited without Sponsor’s express written consent.