The Anchor Point community turned out Saturday on the bank of the Anchor River for the annual duck races. Hosted by the VFW Post 10221, the event is now in its fourth year and is growing into a Fourth of July weekend tradition.
In addition to being post-parade entertainment, the event also serves as a fundraiser for the VFW and offers players who purchased ducks for the race a chance to earn cash prizes.
On Saturday, VFW Post Cmdr. Chuck Collins took his usual place on the Anchor River Bridge and let loose tubs of bright yellow, pink and blue plastic ducks. Event volunteers monitored the ducks’ short race downstream and scooped them up at the finish line with nets, checking the numbers at the bottom for the first-, second- and third-place winners in each color category.
2025 Anchor River Duck Race Results
Yellow Ducks
First Place: Wakeen Brown, $241
Second Place: NoraLee Itchoak, $161
Third Place: Steve Lusk, $81
Pink Ducks
First Place: Todd Bareman, $372
Second Place: Madi Nethers, $248
Third Place: Nikki Baringer, $124
Blue Ducks
First Place: Don Bagley, $627
Second Place: Bobby Ness, $418
VFW Post 10221 Cmdr. Chuck Collins tips over a tub of pink ducks from the Anchor River Bridge during the annual Anchor River Duck Races on Saturday, July 5, 2025, in the Anchor River State Recreation Area in Anchor Point, Alaska. (Delcenia Cosman/Homer News)
Community members watch ducks float by on the Anchor River during the annual Anchor River Duck Races on Saturday, July 5, 2025, in Anchor Point, Alaska. (Delcenia Cosman/Homer News)
Community members gather on the banks of the Anchor River near the finish line to watch ducks float down the river during the annual Anchor River Duck Races on Saturday, July 5, 2025, in Anchor Point, Alaska. (Delcenia Cosman/Homer News)
Volunteers scoop up ducks at the finish line during the annual Anchor River Duck Races on Saturday, July 5, 2025, in Anchor Point, Alaska. (Delcenia Cosman/Homer News)
