by Jerry Esmay, American Legion Post 94, Stevensville
American Legion Fort Owen Post 94 members want to thank the Stevensville community for their support of our annual Duck Derby fundraiser held during the Creamery Picnic. While all 600 ducks were competitive right up to the end, the following were the first six and last duck money winners across the line:
#163 — $600
#218 — $300
#109 — $200
#152 — $100
#250 — $75
#122 — $50
The final duck (Tail End Charlie, we call him) was #376 — $10.
We also want to share an emotional testament to your support which occurred when the winners were being contacted after the race. Tradition has our Post Commander, Garrick Doll, calling the individual winners to inform them that they had a winning duck with the associated prize money. In one case, he was unable to establish contact initially because the phone number on the ticket had been disconnected. Not stopping there, however, he was able to trace the phone number to an address. He then went there but no one answered the door. On his second try to physically contact the winner, he was able to talk to a neighbor who explained that the winning ticket holder was having a hard time because of the recent economic conditions, but steered him to where to find the individual. To make a long story short, it turned out that the ticket holder had bought the ticket because of their strong belief in supporting veterans even though their money was very tight. Thus, the winnings went to someone who really needed it. We also want to thank the “Duck Whackers,” the members of the Bitterroot Valley Military Program, who followed along behind the ducks, keeping them from being hung up in the grass on the sides of the ditch.