Binyomin Greene, 7, of
West Bloomfield enjoys
the climbing wall.
Carly Kuppe, 13, of West Bloomfield tries her
hand at the beanbag toss.
Randi Simko, a Ducky Derby co-chair, pulls a winning duck from the drink.
KERI GUTEN COHEN
Story Development Editor
I t was weather only 5,000 ducks
could love.
Still, more than a thousand people
braved intermittent downpours
Sunday, Aug. 26, to attend Hadassah's sec-
ond annual Detroit Ducky Derby at
Kensington Metropark near Milford.
During a lull in the rain, about 5,000
small rubber duckies were released into the
lake to race along a prescribed course.
Winning ducks were pulled from a trap in
the water by event co-chair Randi Simko
of Farmington Hills. Co-chairs Julie
Phillips of Novi and Andrea Chaness of
West Bloomfield joined her in a boat.
Grand prize winner of a week for two in
Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, was Kate Mitchell,
who lives out of state. First prize winner of a
family tennis membership at the Franklin
Fitness & Racquet Club in Southfield was
Kari Provizer of West Bloomfield.
"We certainly were soggy," Simko said.
But spirits weren't dampened as families
enjoyed the accompanying carnival, often
taking refuge under umbrellas and trees as
the rain came and went all afternoon.
Proceeds from the Hadassah event go
toward pediatric oncology research in this
country and at Hadassah hospitals in
Israel. Though no final figures are in yet,
Simko predicts proceeds from this year's
event will double last year's tally of nearly
S10,000.
Members of the Rouff family of Farmington Hills
take refuge from the rain.
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8/31
2001
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