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Picnic in Color, Ducky Derby set for Sept. 12 in Camas

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Artists Lynsey Keating and Terri Shanahan attend the 2019 Picnic in Color in downtown Camas. (Contributed photo courtesy of the Downtown Camas Association)

Big color, big art and big fun can be found in downtown Camas from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 12, during the annual Picnic Color, a family-friendly, art-focused event.

This year’s Picnic in Color will feature free arts and crafts for children, art demonstrations, food vendors for picnicking and special rubber ducks to decorate in anticipation of the Camas-Washougal Rotary Club’s annual Ducky Derby, which also takes place on Sunday, Sept. 12.

The Picnic in Color event will be held on Northeast Fourth Avenue, from Northeast Cedar to Northeast Dallas streets, and on Northeast Cedar Street from Northeast Fourth and Northeast Fifth avenues.

Participants are encouraged to bring picnic baskets or purchase food from Picnic in Color vendors and downtown Camas restaurants and enjoy a picnic on the tree-lined streets of downtown Camas. All are encouraged to wear bright colors, as the streets will be lined with colorful decorations adding to the vibrancy of this event.

“We are beyond excited for this wonderful opportunity to share in community and emphasize the importance of art in downtown with our neighbors, friends and families and to promote the collaboration of art and commerce,” said Jan Carter, event coordinator for the Downtown Camas Association.

Picnic in Color organizers have partnered with the Camas-Washougal Rotary Club this year to host “Ducky Derby Kid Races” during the Picnic in Color event. The club, with the help of fellow Rotarian engineers, have created a working flume that will carry the retired ducks from previous Ducky Derbies down the wooden flume in a race to the bottom. Each child who attends will have the opportunity to decorate their duck prior to their adventure down the flume.

The Rotarians will be on hand that morning, during the Picnic in Color, to sell last-minute raffle tickets for the 27th annual Ducky Derby, Visit the CW Rotary Facebook page for more information on the 27th Ducky Derby or to purchase tickets ahead of time.

The Ducky Derby will release 5,000 rubber ducks into the Washougal River at noon Sunday, Sept. 12, to raise money for Rotary service projects and scholarships. Ducks are still available for purchase at $10 each and participants compete for prizes, including a $1,500 first-place cash award and $700 second-place cash award. To adopt a duck for the 2021 race, visit the Rotary booth at the Picnic in Color event in the morning on Sept. 12, or email headduck@cwduckyderby.org to be connected to a Rotarian selling ducks prior to the Sept. 12 race.

For more information, visit cwduckyderby.org.

Children create art projects at the 2019 Picnic in Color.
Children create art projects at the 2019 Picnic in Color. (Contributed photo courtesy of the Downtown Camas Association) Photo