By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
PUTNAM — This year 31 non-profit organizations are depending on sales of the cutie pie little yellow rubber duckies in the Pluck-a-Duck fund-raiser.
While sales are going well but organizers are not backing off.
Chair of the Putnam Business Association’s Pluck-a-Duck committee, Beth Markowski-Roop, and her team are everywhere they can be selling chances on the ducks. She and representatives from one of those non-profit organizations, Day Kimball Healthcare, were at the Putnam Saturday Farmers Market, selling raffle tickets.
Last year, she said, 26 non-profits pulled in $11,000 and the Putnam Business Association raised $25,000. For many the Pluck-a-Duck raffle is one of their major sources of funding.
The fund-raiser runs over two days, Aug. 11 and Aug. 12. Aug. 11 a much-expanded free Kids Corner will take place in Rotary Park during the Main Street Car Cruise. The ducks are plucked the next day in a secret location and all the winners are notified.
She said there are some great prizes this year. More info below.
New this year was an expansion of something else: The number of ducks. The group has 7,200 ducks. Markowski-Roop said “This is the first time in 30 years we’ve had to buy new ducks.” Because the state has strict rules on raffles, it required that the new ducks had to match the old ones in size, color, etc. The group worked with a group in China to make that happen. She thanked Earl Rosebrooks, director of Fluid Coating Technology, for being the delivery point for the 1,000 new ducks.
More info from the PBA website:
The Pluck-a-Duck event on Aug. 11 the event runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and the plucking is at noon at the secret location. The Aug. 11 Kids Corner in Rotary Park will include: Bounce Houses, Photo Booth, Arts & Crafts Tent, Xen’s Critters, petting zoo, Cotton Candy Station, Balloons by Bella, Face Painting, and Celebrity Dunk Tank. Post a special wish that would make you feel just ducky on the Wall Of Wishes, and a donation will be made to Make-A-Wish Connecticut, in support of creating live changing wishes for children with critical illnesses.
Aug. 12 thousands of rubber ducks will be ‘plucked’ for a chance to win 100+ fantastic prizes, including gift certificates, tickets to events, gift baskets and much more! And after all prizes have been plucked, the final 12 waddlers out of the pond will be selected for the “Lame Duck” prizes.
The PBA Pluck-a-Duck Raffle Event is the major fund-raising event for the Putnam Business Association. Funds raised will support future free community events such as Zombie Fashion Show, The Great Pumpkin Festival, and International Day, drawing thousands of visitors to the Quiet Corner.

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