Duck Race Winners
Dear Editor: The Sitka Rotary Club is excited to announce the winners of our 40th Annual Sitka Duck Race.
The winners are: First place, ticket number 0696, winners Jeff Budd and Hazel Budd, two Alaska Airline tickets; second, 1330, Monica Eastham, $2,000; third, 2059, B Jordan Photography, $1,000; fourth, 4915, Patrick O’Donnell, $500; fifth, 5531, Cory Nauman, $250; sixth, 3730, Greg Baker, $100; seventh, 1133, Kathleen Hill, $100; eighth, 4639, Tammy Stewart, $100; ninth, 0508, Catherine Rogers, $100; 10th, 1758, Karen Hegyi, $100; 11th, 1195, Peter Karras, $100; 12th, 4276, Nicki Dozier, $100; 13th, 4930, Sitka Film Society, $100; 14th, 3822, Judy Ross, $100; 15th, 4841, Vicki D’Amico, $100; 16th, 0649, Charles Bingham, $100; 17th, 2287, EJ Treadway, $100; 18th, 1928, Karen Barnes, $100; 19th, 3826, Judy Ross, $100; 20th, 1551, Tracy Hamlette, $100; 21st, 0202, Red Bear Construction, $100; 22nd, 0197, Jeanne Wojcik, $100; 23rd, 1490, Anthony Perkins, $100; 24th, 4053, Chris Karsunky, $100; 25th, 2825, Sitka Bulk Goods, $100; 26th, 2278, Karen Zdonzyk, $100; 27th, 2322, Mary Suminski, $100; 28th, 3282, Sitka Bottling, $100; 29th, 3340, Rob Weitkamp, $100; 30th, 1117, Robyn Cottier; 31st, 5331, Alejandra Ertrada, $100; 32nd, 4088, Addie Poulson, $100; 33rd, 2535, Jolene Cox, $100; 34th, 2007, Becky Page Hall, $100; 35th, 5840, Smoked In Sitka, $100; 36th, 0576, Patricia Buak, $100; 37th, 0230, Jake Parunyan, $100; 38th, 3399, Robert Schimmel, $100; 39th, 5145, Tony Buak, $100; 40th, 0546, Rob Parrish, $100; 41st, 1313, Shawn Guttierez, $100; 42nd, 0791, Amanda Baggen, $100; 43rd, 3509, Mike Johnson – Delta Western, $100; 44th, 1264, Lillian Owens, $100; 45th, 4254, Hector Barragan, $100; 46th, 3054, Darryl Ault, $100; 47th, 2754, Sitka Moose Lodge, $100; 48th, 4527, Lowell Murray, $100; 49th, 1394, Nathaniel Pennington, $100; 50th, 5493, Justin Karteski, $100.
The Sitka Rotary Club and our Sitka Duck Race had a very successful year due in large part to our community supporters – 1,038 generous individuals and 203 businesses purchased tickets this year. Thank you all! We would like to express our gratitude to Alaska Airlines for their generous, continuing donation of two roundtrip tickets anywhere they fly, to Sea Mart Quality Foods – this year’s prize sponsor, and First Bank – this year’s ticket sponsor. We would also like to recognize our benefactor – “A Friend of Sitka,” who provided us with $3,000 in cash to increase our prize money.
We continued our Business Sponsor Initiative introduced in 2018 and grew that part of this year’s race to a record 203 Business Sponsors. They were all very generous to our event. Please see Sitka Duck Race Facebook group for complete listing of 2024 Business Sponsors.
This year, thanks to the efforts of many and the generosity of our supporters, we sold out our entire flock of 6,000 ducks once again – this time at 3:46 p.m., May 29, at AC Lakeside.
While we were busy selling ducks tickets for 2024, the proceeds we received from the 2023 Sitka Duck Race were distributed from July 2023 through March 2024. The funds, besides being used to support Sitka Rotary Club’s community activities, were distributed as follows: Alaska Day Festival; American Legion, Post 13; Baranof Bruins Youth Wrestling; Center for Community; Fireweed Dance Guild; Greater Sitka Arts Council; GSAC Wearable Arts; Mt. Edgecumbe High School – boys and girls basketball; Outer Coast; Raven Radio KCAW; Sitka AmeriCorps; Sitka Babies and Books; Sitka Community Land Trust; Sitka Conservation Society; Sitka Counseling and Prevention; Sitka High School; Sitka Homeless Coalition; Sitka Lutheran Church; Sitka Sound Science Center; Sitka Trail Works; Transition Sitka; SE Alaska Women in Fisheries; Xoos Elementary School; and Youth Advocates of Sitka.
Thank all of you in Sitka and beyond, who through your purchase of Sitka Duck Race tickets, continue to allow the Sitka Rotary Club, now celebrating its 83rd anniversary, to continue to fund local projects which help make Sitka the most wonderful place in the world! This will be my last year as Duck Race chair.
THANK YOU, ALL, FOR YOUR SUPPORT DURING THE PAST 9 YEARS!!!!
The DUCKfather,
Sitka Duck Race Committee,
Sitka Rotary Club
Wonderful Visit
Dear Editor: Our impression of Sitka: One of Earth’s treasures.
Our family visited Sitka on Monday, June 18, with the other Norwegian Bliss patrons. This was our first-ever cruise experience. Sitka was our most favorite port-of-call. We were very fortunate to visit on a dry day.
We saw so many bald eagles. We hiked through the Totem Trail in the Sitka National Historical Park.
We went to Baranof Castle State Historical Park to see where the first 49-star U.S. flag was raised. We learned so much about the history of Sitka and the Tlingit culture. We ate local food to include halibut ceviche from the Fresh Fish Food truck. Thank you so much for opening up your community to cruise ships and welcoming visitors to come and learn about your way of life.
The Strauss Family,
Elizabeth, Vicki and Matt
Ruckersville, Virginia
Old, Unique Cars
Dear Editor: It is with real gratification that I wish to thank the 20 or so older and unique cars, their drivers, and passengers in this year’s 4th of July Annual Old and Unique Car Parade. The cars were of an excellent variety to behold to my thinking. It was fun to be in the mix of so many interesting vehicles.
The other really fun part were the Sitkans, young and old, along the route. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you for your turnout. It really made our day. Thank you to one and all. Respectfully,
Jeff Budd, Sitka
