Operation Duck Drop will look a little different in Penticton this year.
The charity event, to raise funds for the Animal Lifeline Emergency Response Team Society, will see a helicopter drop rubber ducks onto a tarp at Okanagan Lake.
People can purchase ducks ahead of time online and watch at noon on Sept. 14, as their rubber toys fall on a target. The person who owns the duck closest to the middle will win $1,000, while the one furthest from the middle will be worth $100.
Event organizers say one duck will be randomly drawn for a $500 prize.
Top Flight, this year's presenting sponsor, has provided a chopper for the festivities.
The inaugural Operation Duck Drop was held in 2023, down the Penticton Channel River. Unlike what's planned this year, ducks were dropped off a bridge by a group of volunteers on Green Mountain Road and into the water, where rubber ducks would race toward Skaha Lake to determine a winner.
In 2024, more than 2,600 rubber ducks were purchased to help raise a total of $61,000 for the Dragonfly Pond Society and BC Firefighters Burn Fund.
Duck sales will be for this year's event soon, the event said. Each online ticket purchased will be matched to a duck.
People who wish to know their number ahead of the drop can email duckdroppen@gmail.com or find a volunteer at the event, who will have a printed list of all the ducks.
The viewing area for the event will be behind the Penticton Peach on Lakeshore Drive.
