WARREN, Ohio – Rubber ducks will again be floating down the Mahoning River in Perkins Park to raise funds for various local nonprofit organizations.
Gates will open at noon Sunday for the Rotary Club of Warren’s second annual River Duck Festival, which will be held at Warren Community Amphitheatre. The rubber ducks race, which offers $1,200 in prizes, including $500 for first place, will start at 4 p.m.
“We have fundraisers so that we can raise money and give out to the community for community organizations that do good in the community,” said Tony Iannucci, club president. “This is just a fun event. It’s a family event and, hopefully, this day will be a beautiful day.”
The event is being chaired by club members Cindy Matheson, the club’s immediate past president, who initiated it in 2025 during her year as president; Alicia Angelo, president-elect; and Julia Wetstein, district governor-designate for Rotary District 6650.
The festival came about as a replacement fundraiser for Warren Rotary’s Slice of the Valley Pizza Challenge.
“Slice of the Valley had kind of run its course, and the chairperson no longer wanted to continue on with it,” Matheson said.
Deciding she needed to “stay in [her] own lane,” she leaned into her background of throwing several festivals over the years. Looking for something “fun and exciting” to do, she was inspired by duck races she saw taking place in several communities, including Struthers. She also recognized it as an opportunity to highlight the opening of the Mahoning River for recreational use.
People can “adopt” ducks, which will be released into the river and float along a narrowing, anchored track constructed from pool noodles and PVC pipe until the winner emerges at the end.
“All of the ducks are weighted so they don’t fly around,” Wetstein said. Prizes, including a one-night stay at the Grand Resort in Howland, will be awarded for the first 10 ducks that finish.
In addition to the duck race, the festival will feature a Jeep meet and parade, food trucks, merchandise vendors, live entertainment, 50/50 raffle and basket raffle.
Angelo scouted several area events – including the OktoberFest presented by the Rotary Club of Boardman – to find other elements and recreational activities to add to the festival. One of this year’s additions will be a Kids Corner, which will feature face painting, Connect Four, Jenga, Hula Hoops and Frisbees.
“I was looking for ideas that others were doing to increase our availability, exposure and the family vibe,” Angelo said.
“The River Duck Festival this year is so exciting because we can use the amphitheater, which we were not able to do last year as it was under construction,” Matheson said.
This year’s beneficiaries include the Salvation Army, Healthy Hearts and Paws, Animal Resource Center and Warren Family Mission, Angelo said.
The event raised more than $13,000 last year, Matheson said. This year, she conservatively expects to raise at least $15,000.
“There’s a very good potential for $20,000,” she remarked.
A single duck can be adopted for $10, with a “Patriotic Pair” available for $17.76, a Nest of Ducks (three) for $26, a Flock of Ducks (six) for $50 and a Flotilla of Ducks (12) for $100. Adoptions are available until 3 p.m. Friday at WarrenRotary.org. Event sponsorships also are available at the website or by calling 330 627 0431.
Iannucci already is looking forward to next year, when the pedestrian bridge is completed, linking the amphitheater to downtown near West Market Street, and then ducks can be dumped into the river from them, as Struthers does for its event.
“It’s always a nice sight to see all the yellow ducks dropping and falling into the river like a waterfall, and so we’ll be able to do that next year,” he said. “We’re looking forward to that.”
Pictured at top: From left are Tony Iannucci, Julia Wetstein (in the duck costume), Alicia Angelo and Cindy Matheson.