Nearly 500 rubber ducks compete for grand prize in the KenDUCKY Derby
Published on KTIV.com: Feb. 21, 2025 at 2:01 PM EST
SIOUX CITY, IOWA, (February 21, 2025) – The Food Bank of Siouxland and The Hard Rock and Casino Hotel held the 3rd annual KenDUCKY Derby.
Buckets of rubber ducks were dumped into a pool and pushed to the opposite end in a race to the finish line.
Nearly 500 rubber ducks were competing for the grand prize.
The grand prize was 2 tickets to the 151st Kentucky Derby, a $500, travel voucher, and a Kentucky Derby coffee table book.
The grand prize was donated by The Hard Rock, which partnered with the Food Bank on this event for the first time. This was the first time the grand prize was a trip to the Kentucky Derby.
“We really like to be part of the community, and we are working with our parent company Churchill Downs Incorporated and so we went to them with the ask of can we do this great prize for this great event. And it was an easy yes for them,“ said Shannon Pauling, The Hard Rock & Casino Hotel Director of Marketing.
Participants could purchase a maximum of 30 rubber ducks.
The event is a fundraiser for the Food Bank of Siouxland to help fight hunger in the community. One duck can help purchase up to 50 meals for the food bank.
“Having this extra funding that we can go out and purchase items to fill certain blanks that might be open is always a good thing in making sure that the people we are serving are receiving well-rounded nutrition,” said Valerie Petersen, Associate Executive Director of the Food Bank of Siouxland.
The grand prize-winning duck was number 186, second place was 69, and third place was 394.
About Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Sioux City
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Sioux City is an award-winning gaming destination offering more than 630 slot machines and 19 table games. The property’s Hard Rock Hotel is a AAA Four Diamond rated hotel, a distinction which only five percent of the more than 28,000 properties reviewed by AAA achieve. Complementing the Hotel and Casino are three bars and two restaurants including Fuel American Grill and Main + Abbey, the property’s AAA Three Diamond rated restaurant. Throughout the property, guests can experience the legends by viewing the vast Hard Rock memorabilia collection, with iconic pieces from Elton John to Jimi Hendrix, and Eric Clapton to Taylor Swift.
