Baldwinsville Rotary welcomes the community to their 23rd annual Seneca River Day on June 10 at Mercer Park in Baldwinsville. Gates open at 10 a.m. with antique cars, live music, food and craft vendors, a magic show, contests, bounce houses and more.
Home Depot will return with projects for the kids to build something fun that they can take home, the Coast Guard Auxiliary will be on hand to teach water safety, the Syracuse Model Boat club will show off their boats on the water, kids can participate in two treasure hunts to follow the clues to a duck medallion, and there will be a free caricaturist making people into art.
Almost everything at Mercer Park will be free to enjoy and there is no admission. You can buy food and shop from local vendors, pay a small fee to ride a pony or get your face painted, and, starting at 3 p.m., two Paw Patrol characters will visit the park and be available for photos at $5 each. The live music is free all day and will include Todd Hobin and Greg Hoover, Sun, Strange to Look At, Sera Bullis and, following the duck race and playing until the fireworks display, you can hear Salt City Chill.
The Baldwinsville Rotary Club credits the generosity of local businesses and individuals for supporting Seneca River Day as sponsors, covering the costs of entertainment and activities, keeping the event affordable for the community to attend.
Later in the day, the crowd can cheer on participants in the Anything That Floats contest as they race their homemade boats from Cooper’s Marina to the shore at Mercer Park at 4 p.m. With on-site registration available, it’s not too late to enter the race. Rules and more information is available at BaldwinsvilleRotary.org.
Duck tickets will be on sale all day at the entrance to Mercer Park. Purchasing a duck supports the Baldwinsville Rotary Club and each ticket is a chance at over $2,500 in cash and prizes. Up to 3,500 colorful, plastic ducks will go in the river at 7 p.m. and race to a fun noodle finish line to determine the winners, which will be announced immediately after the race.
You do not need to be present to win, but it is fun to cheer on your ducks from the shore. Since it has been a wet spring and the river is high, if it is unsafe to be on the water that day, the club has a fun back-up plan in place that you won’t want to miss!
Following the duck race, Rotary concessions and bounce houses will remain open until dusk and you can enjoy Salt City Chill playing at the gazebo in the park. It’s recommended that you bring lawn chairs or blankets to get your spot along the river for the fireworks display at dark.
For the latest news and information on Seneca River Day it is best to join their event on Facebook. Any additions to the event schedule or changes due to weather will be posted there. If you are unable to attend, but want to support the club by buying duck tickets, they are available online at BaldwinsvilleRotary.org.
You can also visit the site for a more detailed schedule of events and send any inquiries to [email protected].
