GOWANDA — On Saturday, the village of Gowanda will see the return of the beloved Ducky Derby event. The Ducky Derby will take place in Gateway Park beginning at 7 p.m.

The Ducky Derby is a race down the creek at Gateway Park, with hollow plastic ducks being the race contestants. Put on by the Gowanda Area Chamber of Commerce, Gowanda residents can purchase the ducks at various stores within the village then customize them before the Gowanda Fire Department pulls them from the water to determine the winner.

“People can buy and name their ducks for $5 each,” said Gowanda Chamber of Commerce President Nick Crassi. “Then after they go down the creek, the Gowanda Fire Department will rescue the ducks from the water, and we’ll see who comes in first.”

The top ten finishers in the Ducky Derby will each receive cash prizes, with the first three finishers getting $100, the next three getting $50, and the final four getting $25. The Chamber hadn’t had enough people to hold the Derby the last few years but have received a lot of positive feedback with it being brought back.

“We usually had about 500 ducks,” Crassi said. “We upped it to 600 ducks this year because everybody is excited about us bringing it back. It definitely benefits some good causes. We hope to do good things in the village like we have been, and we want to continue the effort to make Gowanda a better place to live.”

But the Duck Derby won’t be the only event happening on that Saturday. In a partnership with the Gowanda Area Chamber of Commerce, the Gowanda Mural Project is hosting Community Chalk Art Day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., leading up to the Ducky Derby. Mural Project co-founder Krissy Smith said that the goal is to bring the community together with these two events.

“We decided to have a big community chalk day to get people out creating art together before the Derby,” Smith said. “People can get messy, have some fun, and people that aren’t feeling the vibe of getting chalk out can come down and walk around and see everybody and see all the art. We’re trying to bring people together.”

Now in their second year, the Gowanda Mural Project has done their part to better the Village of Gowanda. Recently, they were in charge of the mural at the Hollywood Theater, but Smith said they wanted something with a community feel to it that anyone was welcome to participate in.

“We never want art to seem exclusive and we don’t want murals to be an exclusive event where it’s a certain group of people and it’s like this elitist thing,” Smith said. “We want full community involvement. Obviously, there are phases of things where we need more skilled artists, but there are ways to incorporate everyone in the community.”

Smith said this will serve as their one big mural for the season, as the group is made up of volunteers, limiting the extent to which they can go. The Chalk Art will not be judged and there will be no prizes for it, rather it’s more of a fun thing to get the community together prior to the Ducky Derby. There will also be a kid’s art zone for kids who just want to doodle on the sidewalk. There will be no theme for the art specifically, but because of the partnership with the Gowanda Area Chamber and the Ducky Derby, Smith said there is one request made for people’s art.

“The only thing we’re asking is for people to hide a duck somewhere in their art,” Smith said. “We want to keep the Ducky Derby going because it’s coming back for the first time in quite some time.”

Both Smith and Crassi each expressed that it’s beneficial to the village to team up like this, to allow the sharing of the money raised between the different organizations, and to enhance community engagement for both events. Smith also expressed she hopes the seed is planted for this to be an annual event.

“Their group and our group got together and decided it would be a good joint venture to team up,” Crassi said. “One group can’t do it all, it takes more of a team effort.”

Gowanda Mayor David Smith also said he is pleased that the different organizations within the Village of Gowanda are pairing up to help each other out.

“The Village of Gowanda is thrilled to have our Chamber of Commerce Ducky Derby event joining forces with the Sidewalk Chalk Project of the Gowanda Mural Project,” Smith said. “It’s great to see our community coming together in so many ways.”

The Gowanda Community Cleanup Crew is also a major sponsor of the Ducky Derby event, which Smith is also a member of. Tickets for participation in the Ducky Derby can be found at several local Gowanda businesses, including Gowanda Credit Union, Auto Wrench Connection, McCormack’s Hardware, Shop and Save Grocery, Jesse’s Home and Gifts, Community Bank, Designer Pools, Peace of the Pie in Collins, Bigfoot Gas Station, Iroquois Gas Station, Creekside Market, Tammy’s Unique Bouquet, The Attic, and Perrysburg Pub.