Newtown Lions Club’s 2023 Great Pootatuck Duck Race will return to Sandy Hook Center on Saturday, June 3.

The festivities begin at 11 am in the park at 5 Glen Road, behind Foundry Restaurant and Sandy Hook Cafe.

All children’s activities and games are free of charge. There will be an 18-foot slide, a bounce house, mini golf, and a bean bag toss.

At 2:30 thousands of numbered rubber ducks will be dropped off the Church Hill Road bridge into the Pootatuck River. Twenty prizes will be awarded to those holding tickets corresponding with the numbers of the first twenty ducks to reach the finish line.

Raffle tickets are still $5 each. Final sales will continue Saturday. First prize this year is $2,000.

Additional prizes have been donated by Berkshire Motors, Big Y, Blue Colony Diner, Butcher’s Best, Cover Two Grill, Cork-N-Barrel Liquor Store, Edmond Town Hall Theatre, Farmhouse Restaurant, Gino’s Pizza Parlor of Sandy Hook, Marketplace Restaurant, My Place Restaurant, Nassar’s Hair Salon, Newtown Dry Cleaners, Peach Blossom Boutique, Pizza Palace, Porco Karate Academy, Sabrina Style, Sal e Pepe’s Restaurant, Sugo Restaurant (formerly Figs), Superior Cleaners, The Little Theater, The Villa Restaurant, and Toy Tree.

Should weather interfere, the race will be conducted on another date without the surrounding festival.

In the event of inclement weather on Saturday, check the Newtown Lions Club Facebook page.