Great Farmville Duck Derby canceled

Published 6:00 am Wednesday, June 10, 2020

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This year’s Great Farmville Duck Derby has officially been canceled.

The United Way of Prince Edward County’s signature fundraiser will resume next year, and backers and sponsors are being asked to roll over their support, the board decided during a recent Zoom teleconference.

The derby joins a lengthy and growing list of local activities and events that are casualties of the COVID-19 outbreak. The board decided in late March to postpone the derby when it was announced that the 2020 Heart of Virginia Festival, with which it was to be held in conjunction, had been canceled. At the time, it was hoped that the derby could still be held later this year.

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“It’s not going to happen because nothing is happening in June, July or August,” Bruce Davis, the board member who was organizing the event, said.

Board members noted that even if everything reopened by the fall, jobs and the crush to return to normal would swamp holding the derby.

The United Way continues its fundraising event, putting handmade ducks in people’s yards. The event is a fundraiser that helps local nonprofits.

Since a Wine and Brew in late February at the Longwood Center for the Visual Arts, people have paid $20 to have four handmade ducks placed in someone’s yard. Once the ducks have been placed, the recipient may pay to have the ducks removed to someone else’s yard of their choosing.

Those interested in arranging a flocking can approach United Way board members for a copy of the order form or can use the link on the Facebook page.