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For the past few years, high waters in Murder Creek have prevented the typical route for the Duck Race held as part of the July 4th celebration in East Brewton.
East Brewton Mayor Terry Clark said the route for the race this year will look a little different depending on the level of water in Murder Creek.
“We’ve had to find winners in the Duck Race by pulling ducks from a pool in the park for the past few years because of high, fast waters in the (Murder) Creek,” Clark said. “We’ve been looking at some different options for the race this year if the water is too high in the Creek.”
Fast moving waters that are above normal levels in the creek pose a safety threat since city workers are needed to deposit the ducks in the creek and be down stream to retrieve them once the race is complete, Clark said.
“We have two options this year that won’t put any of our people in danger,” Clark said. “Either one would be a great option, but we’ll have to see what conditions are on Tuesday to determine which method will work best.”
Clark said one plan is to use the drainage ditch that borders the property at Fort Crawford Park on Snowden Street.
“We can have a fire truck at the top of the hill along Pine Street where the ditch begins,” Clark said. “They can funnel water into the ditch and the ducks can be released to travel along that route. We will have people stationed at the other side of the opening at Fort Crawford Park to retrieve winners as they come through the other side.”
Although it won’t be clear until conditions are assessed on Tuesday, Clark said another option is available for the annual race.
“We can also use Snowden Street as the race way,” Clark said. “We have a plan that has us putting down some plastic along Snowden Street where the area is already closed to traffic. We can open a hydrant and have our fire department personnel work it so that water flows down the street. Ducks can be released at the to of the hill and we will have our people at the base of the hill to catch the winners as they cross the finish line.”
Prizes for the first ducks across either finish line are $200 for first,$100 for second and $50 for third.
Ducks are on sale for $5 each at East Brewton City Hall until 5 p.m. Monday during regular business hours. On Tuesday, sales will continue during the day at event locations.