Can you help find the last missing duck in time?

United Way officials are reporting that three of four missing rubber duckies have now been found, thanks in part to a tip from Barbara Groves of North Cape May, who guessed that the third missing duck was hiding at the office of Senior Excursions, on Pacific Ave. in Wildwood.

Rainy Day Duck had just returned from a Senior Excursions day trip to Atlantic City with a group of senior traveling companions, when he was spotted. He said he loved seeing the sites and making new friends but he was ready to get back to work…at least for now.

“I know I’m not quite weady for wetirement yet, but being a celebrity duck can get you down. After the wace, I’ll be back for some west and welaxation,” he said.

For helping to find the missing duck Barbara Groves will receive a quack pack prize pack that includes passes to Morey’s Piers and a gift certificate to Court House Diner. She will also be entered into a grand prize drawing for a Seaside Fun Pack of Morey’s Piers passes, Tram Car tickets, and admission for two to the Sweet Soul and Rock ‘n Roll Concert at the Wildwoods Convention Center on Labor Day weekend. The concert features entertainment by Little Anthony and the Imperials, The Temptations Review with Dennis Edwards and The Spinners, plus celebrity impersonator Linda Axelrod as Joan Rivers. The winner will be chosen at the Rubber Ducky Regatta on Aug 15.

But United Way officials are not ready to celebrate yet. One duck remains missing. Luckily, clues to his whereabouts have been discovered, but they need help finding him.

Examine the photos and the letter from Kayak Duck to see if you can determine his hiding place. If you think you have located him, email your tip to flewthecoop@uwcmc.org before noon, Saturday, Aug. 7. Please include your name, hometown, phone number and a description and location of the duck’s hiding place to be eligible to win. A winner will be randomly selected from all correct entries and announced here next week.

Here’s the clue:

It seems my journey has led to a dead end, but what a beautiful place to be. According to their sign, this place was established in 1736, so it’s been here a long time…I would like to be here a long time, too. I can just watch the seashore traffic roll by as I float along the shore of my new ducky habitat. I can sip cocktails on the sand overlooking an unused bridge, or I can head indoors to enjoy a delicious crab cake or bread pudding in the dining room. Life is just ducky.

See you sometime,

Kayak Duck

The United Way of Cape May County is one duck closer to a successful Rubber Ducky Regatta on Aug. 15. As the Leader reported last week, four United Way of Cape May County rubber duckies were reported missing after they flew the coop during a visit to the Mariners Landing Ghost Ship, but thanks to Frank Dragotta, of Philadelphia, one has been found.
Dragotta guessed that Suzy Spa Duck had found her sweet spot at the Candy Wheel on the Boardwalk at Magnolia Avenue, and he was correct. She was found giving herself a Skittle spa treatment and chowing down on Dilly Bars from Boardwalk Dairy Queen next door.

“Sometimes a girl’s got to treat herself,” she said.

For his efforts, Dragotta will receive a prize pack of gifts from local businesses, and he will be entered into a drawing for the Grand Prize, which includes a Seaside Fun Pack of Morey’s Piers passes, Tram Car tickets, and admission for two to the Sweet Soul and Rock ‘n Roll Concert at the Wildwoods Convention Center on Labor Day weekend. The concert features entertainment by Little Anthony and the Imperials, The Temptations Review with Dennis Edwards and The Spinners, plus celebrity impersonator Linda Axelrod as Joan Rivers.

Suzy Spa Duck has now returned to United Way’s Duck Training Center and is preparing for race day, but sadly, three ducks remain missing, and the United Way needs to get its ducks in a row for the Regatta. They are asking Gazette readers for help.

Police recently received a lead on Cowgal Sal ducky. Please study the note and pictures that contain clues to her whereabouts. If you think you know where she is, email your tip to flewthecoop@uwcmc.org before noon, Saturday, July 24 to be eligible for this week’s prize. Please include your name, hometown, phone number and a description and location of the duck’s hiding place. A winner will be randomly selected from all complete and correct entries.

Here’s the clue:

Yeehaw!!! You’d never think a tough cowgirl like me would find a comfy spot amid all this Victorian charm. It’s no rodeo, but golly, it’s great here. We clippity-clop along the streets night and day, learning all about the history of this fancy place. I’ve seen a wedding and a few proposals, and the romance of it all leaves me feeling like it might not be too bad to be a cultured lady duck after all. Ya’ll stop by the mall, and we’ll show you some southern Cape May County hospitality.

The 2010 United Way of Cape May County Rubber Duckies have arrived and are just waiting to waddle into your life!

For a donation of just $5, each ducky comes with a chance to win fabulous prizes at the 17th Annual Rubber Ducky Regatta, Aug. 15, plus a passport to race day fun that includes a free ride on Morey’s Giant Ferris Wheel, a hot dog and a coke, plus a buy-one-get-one-free ice cream from Boardwalk Dairy Queen for dessert.

The five new ducky mascots include: Suzy Spa Duck, Cowgal Sassy Sal, Ron the Rocker and E.M.S. Eddie. Plus, one mysterious ducky is waiting to introduce himself at the Rubber Ducky Regatta, at Morey’s Mariner’s Landing.
Ducks are currently on sale at: Cape Bank, Crest Savings Bank, PNC Bank, 1st Bank of Sea Isle City, and many other local businesses. Proceeds help the United Way of Cape May County to fund important local programs that help county residents lead better lives.

For more information on the Rubber Ducky Regatta or how you can help, call 609-729-2002.

An afternoon of fun on Sunday, July 4, turned quickly to one of chaos for the United Way of Cape May County, when four celebrity rubber ducks went missing on Mariner’s Landing Pier, just weeks before the annual Rubber Ducky Regatta.
The ducks, who are in training for the regatta, were visiting the Boardwalk to get a sneak peak of the Lazy River in Raging Water’s Water Park, where crowds of ducky fans will gather on Aug. 15 to watch thousands of rubber ducks race for prizes in the United Way’s biggest fundraising event.

United Way staff became alarmed, however, when the ducks failed to return to ducky headquarters by their 8 p.m. curfew.
Unfortunately, this is not the first time the gullible rubber duckies have fallen victim to fowl play. Occasionally, the pressure of preparing for the big race gets to them, and they feel the need to duck out for a while.

This time, however, investigators believe that the duckies may have just chickened out. A paparazzi of duck fans last spotted the ducks in front of Morey’s new Ghost Ship attraction at about 6 p.m. on Sunday. Witnesses reported that the ducks seemed to be planning on entering the creepy craft, but their feathers were obviously ruffled.

“A little bird told me they were terrified of becoming dead ducks,” Detective Drake Hunter, said, “but they didn’t want to be seen as chickens. I don’t blame them for flying the coop. Did you hear what happens to birds in the galley of that boat?”

Hunter said he has already received clues to one duck’s whereabouts, but he needs your help to find her. Study the picture and letter from Suzy Spa Duck, and if you think you have located her, email your tip to flewthecoop@uwcmc.org before noon, Saturday, July 17. Please include your name, hometown, phone number and a description and location of the duck’s hiding place to be eligible to win. A winner will be randomly selected each week from all correct entries and announced here next week.

Here’s the clue:

Dear ducky fans,
I know you expect fearlessness from me, but to be honest, that ship razzled my nerves and sent them aflutter. Please don’t snicker. I’ve settled into a sweet spot now, and I’m feeling like a lucky ducky to have landed here. Just a few blocks from that vile sea vessel is my rainbow world of bursting stars and lifesavers. Stop by for a visit, and for just 25 cents you could be lucky, too. If not, you could get your sugar daddy to treat you to a Dilly Bar next door. Find me if you can.

Hugs and Kisses,
Spa Duck Sal

They’ve “Flown the Coop” again!

Fowl play is suspected in the disappearance of five rubber duckies from the United Way of Cape May County’s food pantry, on Thursday, July 2. United Way officials are hoping that Gazette readers will help to locate the missing ducks in time for the annual Rubber Ducky Regatta at Mariner’s Landing Water Park on Sunday, Aug. 9.

The ducks, who have been busy preparing for the upcoming regatta, took a break from their rigorous training schedule on Thursday to help volunteers stock shelves at the First Call for Help Pantry, 230 East Maple Ave, Wildwood.

They were discovered missing by United Way President, Beverly Trapp, who looked for them around Noon and realized they had “flown the coop”.

“I was panicked,” Trapp said. “The Rubber Ducky Regatta is our biggest fundraiser, and the work the duckies do on race day helps us to do the work we do in the community all year long. Each ducky is very special to us.”

In fact, this is not the first time ducks have taken flight just weeks before the race,

United Way Executive Director Suzanne Nardi explained. “There’s a lot of pressure on these cute little guys to do their best. Occasionally, they just chicken out,” she said.

In past years, they’ve escaped to soak in the local sights at area businesses, and luckily Gazette readers have helped to find them before they’ve flown south for the winter or fallen prey to gangs of sinister seagulls.

“We believe it is fowl play,” Nardi said. “But while we are down about their disappearance, we are very hopeful they’ll be found.”

Mysteriously, a note and pictures containing clues to one duck’s whereabouts was delivered to United Way headquarters over the weekend, and Nardi is hoping Gazette readers will again come to the rescue.

Study the note and pictures to see if you know where the duck is nesting. If you recognize the duck’s hideout, submit it to flewthecoop@uwcmc.org, by 1 p.m., Saturday, July 11. Please include your name, hometown and a phone number where you can be reached. Local businesses, including Morey’s Piers, the Boardwalk Tram Car, and Robinson’s and Tony’s Produce, in Villas, have pitched in with prizes, and one lucky duck will be randomly selected each week to receive a reward package. The winner’s name will be published in the Gazette the following week.

My, oh my! The pie’s bigger than I, here at my new hideaway heaven. Black bottom is my all-time favorite.

I don’t mind working hard to earn my keep here at this Wildwood institution, since the food is so fresh, so good and all made from scratch. In fact, me and my new friend Earl and his family start baking at the crack the dawn, and dinner at 4:30 comes fast.

I love Meatloaf Mondays, and though the turkey dinner is a big crowd-pleaser, it makes me just a bit nervous that I too could end up on a plate. It’s not likely though. After all, they’ve been serving up quality and consistency here since 1925, and Rubber Duck L’Orange has yet to be on the menu.

Wildwood’s oldest restaurant is just a few blocks from United Way’s Wildwood office as the crow flies, and lots of rubber duckies have found homes here over the years. Find me if you can.

- Waitress Duck

Can you help find Fireman Duck in Time?

United Executive Director Suzanne Nardi is putting out a desperate plea to the public to help her in locating the other rubber ducky racers before race day. The popular fundraising event draws ducky fans from near and far to Mariner’s Landing water park one day each year to watch thousands of ducks race around the lazy river. They compete for hundreds of prizes for their sponsors, and the money raised by the event supports United Way’s community programs throughout the year. Read more…

Thanks to a tip from Julie Merson, one of five missing United Way rubber duckies has been found.

The disappearance of the celebrity ducks during the Beach Blast soccer tournament in Wildwood was a blow to the United Way of Cape May County, which is planning its annual Rubber Ducky Regatta on Aug. 10.
Read more…

Lightning never strikes twice, and no one could have predicted that for the second year in a row, grave trouble would befall the United Way of Cape May County as they prepare for the annual Rubber Ducky Regatta. Against the odds, five duckies have again flown the coop. Read more…