Columbus Duck Derby sells out before splashing into the Colorado River

The Columbus Education Foundation (CEF) sold out of 3,500 yellow rubber ducks and raised over $30,000 for its third annual Columbus Duck Derby, Saturday, May 16, at Beason’s Park.

Volunteers dumped thousands of ducks off of the east bridge near the park as dozens lined the riverbank to watch. The ducks cascaded into the water then slowly drifted downstream where other volunteers waited to collect them and capture the top three finishers. Toni Connor, of Columbus, watched the event for the first time this year.

“I loved seeing them rain down and then splat on the river…I love that they were coming down the river and racing along,” Connor said. “…One of the other things I thought was really incredible… is how careful they were about making sure the environment wasn’t contaminated, that they cleaned everything up.”

The finishers were announced at the Magnolia Days Festival in downtown Columbus. Jodie Sebesta won first place for $1,000. Tammy Gray placed second for $500. Oakley Evans placed third for $250. The foundation added 500 ducks this year but still sold out of all 3,500.

“Next year, our hope is to add more. We did sell out, so you definitely got to buy early,” Carrie McRee, a CEF board member, said. “Thank everyone for your support.”

The Duck Derby raises money for scholarships and classroom grants for students and teachers at Columbus Independent School District. CEF Corresponding Secretary Gina Carter said the foundation raised over $30,000 after expenses at this year’s Duck Derby between selling out of ducks and receiving sponsorships.

“It’s that culmination of all the work that was going on behind the scenes finally coming to fruition that for me makes the day,” Carter said.

So far this year, CEF has facilitated awarding $150,050 across 42 scholarships. For the 2025-2026 school year, CEF awarded $14,848 in classroom grants. Carter said the proceeds from this year’s Duck Derby will fund classroom grants for the 2026-2027 school year. She said the board is considering raising this year’s grant total to $20,000.

“That’s super exciting for us because the teachers did some fun things this year with their grant money, and that’s the whole point, right?” Carter said. “That they could do things that were out-of-the-box that they may not, that they couldn’t do without using their own money.”