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The Commercial Dispatch reports more than 5,000 yellow rubber ducks will be dumped from the old Highway 82 bridge into the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway as part of Columbus-Lowndes Habitat for Humanity's Great Tombigbee Duck Race.
Organizers said the event replaces an annual golf tournament fundraiser, hoping it will garner more community involvement for the cause.
For $5, people can purchase a rubber duck, along with the chance to win cash and prizes that will include barbecue grills, gym memberships, limousine rides, gift cards and more. The ducks will "race" downstream, where they will be funneled into a chute for collection and prize determinations.
The purchaser of the first duck to cross the finish line wins $2,500. One duck per every 3,000 will be worth $1 million. If the first duck to cross the finish line also happens to be the million-dollar duck, that duck's adopter will win the $1 million.
Funds from the duck race will be used to continue Habitat's mission of providing low-cost housing. The local chapter builds an average of three to four homes per year, using predominantly volunteer labor. The houses are then sold at-cost and mortgaged interest-free to partner families who meet Habitat's criteria.
The festivities begin at 10 a.m. and the duck race at 2 p.m.
For more information, visit www.tombigbeeduckrace.com or contact Habitat Executive Director Kathy Arinder at 662-329-2501.