Summer Celebration, Duck Derby Highlight Allens Pond Wildlife Sanctuary in August

DARTMOUTH—Mass Audubon’s Duck Derby fundraiser at Allens Pond has long been an eagerly anticipated event each August and now the popular wildlife sanctuary on Buzzards Bay is doubling down on mid-month fun with its inaugural Summer Celebration, taking place Saturday, August 14.

The 18th annual Duck Derby takes place this year on the following Thursday, August 19.

Summer Celebration (10 a.m.-2 p.m.) is a free event full of fun activities for all ages. Enjoy a guided walk around the spectacular coastal property, and learn about the awesome animals (and the habitats they depend upon) that Mass Audubon helps to protect.

Scheduled family-oriented activities include Make-and-Take Nature Confetti Craft and Wildlife Biofacts (learn about shorebirds, ospreys, turtles, and more).

Attendees will also be able to bid on silent-auction packages donated by local retailers,  and enter ducks into the Derby. Box lunches from The Bayside Restaurant and iced coffee from Coastal Roasters also will be available for purchase.

For this year’s Derby—deadline to purchase ducks is Wednesday, August 18, 5 p.m.—the first five little yellow racers to finish win Grand Prizes, with one of them earning a $5,000 cash prize for its backers. A number of fantastic runner-up prizes will also be awarded.

Ducks can be purchased for $10 each, but in honor of this being Mass Audubon’s 125th Anniversary as well as the 18th Derby, Derby fans can purchase 18 ducks for 125 bucks. A mere seven bucks per duck!

While Summer Celebration is free to all, Mass Audubon encourages attendees to support its work by entering ducks in the Derby and bidding on silent auction items. All funds raised through Duck Derby and the silent auction support the conservation organization’s education, conservation, and outreach work.

Mass Audubon is grateful for the generosity of this year’s Duck Derby sponsors.

Our Grand Prize sponsors are The Bayside Restaurant, Sylvan Nursery, BayCoast Bank, Fiber Optic Center/Whaling City Sound; Supporter sponsors include Milbury and Company, Oppenheimer & Co. Inc., My Generation Energy, and Robert B. Feingold & Associates, P.C.