Norridgewock Historical Society members dump rubber ducks into the Kennebec River Monday for the rubber duck derby at Norridgewock’s Oosoola Days. Kaitlyn Budion/Morning Sentinel
NORRIDGEWOCK — As school starts and summer unofficially comes to an end, residents and visitors came out to enjoy Labor Day at Oosoola Days.
The event ran Sunday and Monday. Sunday activities at the Central Maine Regional Airport in Norridgewock included a pancake breakfast, 5K, live music, a cornhole tournament and more.
Monday’s celebrations opened with a parade at 9 a.m. running from Mill Stream Elementary School to Oosoola Park. Jimmy Gordon, a 35-year veteran of the town’s fire department, was selected to be the parade’s grand marshal.
While the morning started off gray and cloudy, the sun came out at Oosoola Park for the day’s festivities, which included food and craft booths, plenty of activities for kids, a rubber duck derby and the annual frog race.
Lisa Sirois, a volunteer at the event Monday, said there was a very good turnout this year.
Last year, the event was canceled due to the pandemic and concerns from the town about putting financial pressure on local businesses who usually support Oosoola Days when businesses were already struggling.
Sirois said that she has been involved with Oosoola Days for practically her whole life, as her grandfather helped start the event.
“It’s a family tradition for us, so it’s good to be back and doing it and seeing all the faces here,” Sirois said.
Jill Monas and her family just moved to the area from Hawaii, and came out to get involved with the community. Her child was participating in all the activities that morning, from the egg toss to the three-legged race.
People compete in the egg toss Monday at Norridgewock’s Oosoola Days at Oosoola Park. Kaitlyn Budion/Morning Sentinel
“This has been a really nice experience for us,” Monas said.
This was the second year the Norridgewock Historical Society hosted the rubber duck derby, said Becky Ketchum, president of the society.
They sell numbered rubber ducks for $5 apiece, and then release them into the Kennebec River. The first duck to finish is the winner. The prize money is split between the historical society and the winner. This year the society sold 280 ducks at $5 a piece, which comes out to $700 for the historical society and $700 for the lucky winner.
The money allows the historical society to offer more activities and events for locals and kids throughout the year, Ketchum said.
“It’s a big deal; we have a lot of needs; we like to do things for the kids,” she said.
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