Why a duck? Why not.

Crowds flock to Warwick's 15th Annual Duck Derby WARWICK - William Timony, 8, will have to share his first place prize of $1,000 with his three brothers and sisters as well as his mom and dad, Kathleen and Pat Timony of Warwick. "I bought four tickets, one for each of my children," said Kathleen Timony, "but, just to make it easy, I wrote his name on all of them. Anyway, all of us will use the money for a family vacation." The $1,000 grand prize was the first of 10 prizes awarded in the 15th Annual Duck Derby Benefit Race held on Sunday, May 15. The event is sponsored by Winslow Therapeutic Center and proceeds are divided equally between Winslow and other not-for-profit organizations, which help market tickets for the popular race. On the evening before the race, the Duck Derby festivities began with a "Faux Duck" (chicken) dinner and free concert at the Village Park on Railroad Avenue. Two bands, Oxford Depot and Zen, an all-girl band, provided the musical entertainment. Volunteers for both events included members of the Warwick Leo Club and the Winslow Youth Council. Anyone new to Warwick or just visiting can be excused for wondering why hundreds of adults and children are crowding the bridges or running along the banks of Wawayanda Creek in the downtown area of the village. The answer is that most have "adopted" one or more of thousands of rubber ducks, each bearing the number that corresponds with the $5 ticket they purchased. The ducks are released from Cablevision's pedestrian bridge, the starting line of the race, and they float their way down to the finish line near Warwick's Main Street bridge. Nine of the prizes were donated in merchandise or services by local businesses. The first place prize of $1,000 was provided by Winslow Therapeutic Center. This year's second and third place winners were Barbara Morgiewicz of Pine Island and George and Dorothy Filipowski of Warwick. Both won Broadway show tickets courtesy of WTBQ Radio.