POMEROY — Adoption papers for ducks to be entered in the Sternwheel Riverfest derby on the Ohio River are now available for purchase from downtown Pomeroy merchants.

The duck derby is an annual event sponsored by the Pomeroy Merchants Association to raise money for downtown beautification.

Currently the Association is looking to buy two sets of new banners for the period light poles which line the downtown streets, along with some new Christmas decorations, and promotional shopping bags. The flowers and plants in the downtown area are an annual project of the group.

The duck derby will be held on Saturday, Sept. 18 during the Riverfest. This year’s grand prize is $500 in Chamber bucks which can be spent at the business of any member of the Chamber of Commerce. There will also be numerous other prizes awarded.

The grand prize will go to the owner of the first duck to cross the finish line. At 4 p.m. several hundred ducks will be dumped from a boat into the middle of the river in an area well above downtown. Other prizes will be awarded to the owners of the numbered ducks in the order in which they cross the finish line near the lower parking lot.

The appropriate papers for “owning” one of the numbered ducks can be purchased for $5 each at downtown business places including Weaving Stitches, Main Street Party Supplies, Clark’s Jewelry, Hartwell House, Andersons, Swisher & Lohse, Riverfront Market, Dan’s Peoples Bank, Court Street Grill, Farmers Bank, the Fabric Shop, the Eagles Club, all in Pomeroy; and the Dairy Queen and Beth’s Place in Middleport.

The sale will continue at a booth on the parking lot during the festival and up until an hour before the ducks begin their float downriver.