Everything’s ducky in Chicago

Rubber Duckie, you’re the one—out of the 63,000 that will “race” down the Chicago River on Thursday afternoon. A dump truck will launch the rubber ducks from Chicago’s Wabash Avenue Bridge, with one lucky duck moving downriver and crossing the finish line first in this 14-year tradition. Proceeds from the Chicago Ducky Derby go to Special Olympics Illinois, which received a check for $420,000 last year. Individuals can “adopt a duck” for $5 each, and the owner of the duck that’s plucked from the water at the end will drive home a 2019 Chevy Equinox.

When did rubber duck races originate? The first race took place in Ottawa, Ontario, in the late 1980s, with the fundraising concept spreading from there to bodies of water around the globe. In 2008, 250,000 rubber ducks floated down the River Thames in London, setting the record for having your ducks in a row.