Flock of rubber duckies takes plunge for St. Catherine's

Under brilliant spring skies -- and a chance to feather your nest with prizes -- no one was ducking this annual Fairfield event.

The Fairfield County Duckie Derby, which benefits St. Catherine's Academy, a Fairfield school for students 5 to 20 years old with special needs, plunged ahead early afternoon Saturday along the banks of the Mill River. More than 1,000 numbered rubber ducks were poured into the waterway while hundreds of people lined the river banks and cheered.

Diversions along the route included a multitude of games, from duck ring toss to a Lucky Duck board game, duck Lego building, and snack and beverage sampling.

"We volunteer with the Derby event every year," said Michele Modugno, the Youth Group Minister at Assumption Church in Westport, who joined a group of teens selling duck cookies and t-shirts for the cause. "We attend events with the St. Catherine teens, so there's a lot of collaboration."

Kids could also decorate larger ducks and submit them for judging in a Decorator Duck contests, with prizes.

At the registration table, St. Catherine's board member Christine Herman remarked, "This is a very happy family event. Kids have fun decorating the ducks, the race is exciting, and the fundraising is critical, to enable programming and scholarships.

"Special attention (at St. Catherine's) is given to each child according to their needs, which can be intensive," she added.