On March 23, children eagerly gathered at the splash zone of the Cottonwood Heights Recreation Center for the annual spring Ducky Drop event. This was the center's second year holding the event. 

“I think the community is looking for fun events and as a rec center, it is our responsibility to offer events to the public,” said Audrey Durfee, the recreation center’s aquatics manager. 

The event idea originated from a desire to create a unique springtime activity, different from an Easter egg hunt. After last year's event, changes were made to the schedule based on feedback to ensure a better experience for everyone attending. Once registration for this year’s event opened, the younger age groups filled up within the week. 

At the beginning of each age group’s 10-minute time slot, rubber ducks were released into the splash zone. While one group was busy collecting ducks, children of other age groups could enjoy activities in a different part of the pool, preventing overcrowding. Children collected as many ducks as they could using only their arms, not buckets or baskets. After 10 minutes, children who had gathered the winning rubber ducks received a special prize. Every participant received a gift bag containing a rubber ducky and some treats. 

“It's really just a chance for the community to come do a spring-centered event,” Durfee said. 

The recreation center continues to plan changes and events to better meet the needs of the community. “We've added some early hours a couple of days a week that are geared towards the kids that aren't quite in school,” Durfee explained. The pool’s splash zone is now open on Tuesdays and Thursdays 9-11:30 a.m. 

In addition, on May 8, the recreation center will host “Water Safety Wednesday” in honor of National Water Safety Month. “At the outdoor pool before we open for the summer, we're going to have some safety stops where we talk about life jackets, parents being water watchers and what to do if somebody's in the water and you can't swim,” Durfee said. 

The recreation center will also hold a “Read to Swim” program with the Whitmore Library. “Kids can go to the library and get a reader, and they fill in the reader—for every 20 minutes they read they color a fish scale, and they can bring the reader back to the pool and get a free pass for the day, to come back with a parent or an adult to swim for free,” Durfee said. The readers will be available May 1.

While this year's Ducky Drop event has concluded, residents can look forward to future events hosted by the Cottonwood Heights Recreation Center aimed at promoting health, safety and community engagement. λ