By Heather Matthews
Staff Writer

Fire Quackers Over Manchester will be the first duck race held in Manchester. Kristen Van Horn, left, Quackers, the event's mascot, and Amy Laroche said they are extremely excited about the race. (Mirror/Heather Matthews)

Rock 101's Sky Show, not the Loudon Raceway, will be the site of one of the summer's biggest races this year, with an invasion of bright yellow rubber ducks hitting the Merrimack River for the Fire Quackers Over Manchester Duck Race.

The race, which will be held during the Sky Show on Sunday, May 28, will give one lucky ticket holder the chance to win $2,006.

Sponsored by the Manch-ester Area Convention and Visitor's Bureau, the race is the first of its kind in the city and will send 7,500 ducks into the water.

At 6 p.m. on the day of the race, two large front-end loaders will dump the bath-time toys off the Bridge Street bridge and into to the Merrimack, according to Amy Laroche, assistant director of the Manchester Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.

"They're going to be massive," she said.

Once set free, the ducks will fight their way from the bridge to Arms Park, where kayakers and volunteers from North Wood Rafting will scoop them from the icy water and prevent any stragglers from trying to make an escape to the Atlantic Ocean.

The Duck Race is just one way WGIR and Rock 101 are trying to make the Sky Show more family-friendly, said Sara Anderson, WGIR's Nontraditional Revenue director. In the early years, the Sky Show simply featured some food vendors and a short fireworks display. Then it slowly transformed into a day of raucous heavy metal music directed toward a more mature audience.

This year there will be several family-friendly additions to the event, including the duck race, the Molly Bish "Life Guard" Identity Kits Booth and the "Bling Tent" - an area for kids and adults that features airbrushed temporary tattoos, character drawings and jewelry, sponsored by Spider-Bite.

"Whether you are a 6-year-old or a 46-year-old, there is something that will appeal to you," Anderson said. "Whether you are a little girl getting her face painted or an older woman looking for jewelry, there will be something for you." But it won't just be the vendors that will be all-age appropriate. This year, the Sky Show will feature performances from groups anyone can enjoy. Tribute bands that reflect the music of the 27 years of Rock 101's history will perform classics by Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, Green Day and the '80s hair bands.

"The tribute bands appeal to so many, and these are the groups that Rock 101 embodies," Anderson said. New Hampshire's own Recycled Percussion will round out the night as the show's headliners. The Goffstown-based act has been touring the country and playing half-times at NBA games this year. "The fact that they are grounded enough to do this show for me - that speaks volumes," she said.

Proceeds from the duck race will benefit the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Manchester. Tickets are $5 per duck or five for $20 and can be purchased through the Manchester Area CVB's office on Elm Street, Van Otis Chocolates on Elm Street, Holiday Inn at the Manchester Airport, Big Brothers Big Sisters on Lowell Street and T-Quip on Rockingham Road in Londonderry.

For more information on the duck race, visit www.manchestercvb.com.