The Schreiber Center for Pediatric Development will hold the 2024 Rubber Duckie Race and Festival on Sunday, Sept. 8, at its facility, located at 625 Community Way, Lancaster. The rain-or-shine community event will take place from 2 to 5 p.m., and it will include a variety of family-friendly activities in addition to a new tradition that will replace the Rubber Duckie Race in the Conestoga River.

This year, the festival will incorporate several races for the first time since it began 36 years ago, including the Duckie Dash at 3 p.m., the Duckie Dash relay at 3:30 p.m. and the Duckling Dash at 2:30 p.m. The Duckie Dash will entail a 1-mile race that is open to runners 13 years old and above. Teams of four may sign up for the Duckie Dash relay, which will include a quarter-mile run that participants will complete wearing a duckie floatie. Children ages 2 to 5 and 6 to 12 may compete in the 100-meter Duckling Dash. Participants in each race will receive refreshments at the end of the run and 10 festival tickets. Those who sign up for the Duckie Dash will receive one entry in a prize drawing, and prizes will be given to the team that places first in the relay race. Race winners will be announced at 4 p.m. All participants who sign up before Thursday, Aug. 1, will receive a commemorative T-shirt and an early-bird discount on the cost of registration.

The festival will be free to attend, but tickets must be purchased to participate in the festival's various activities, such as carnival games and pony rides. Refreshments will be available to purchase from several food trucks, including Scoops Ice Cream and Grille, Cupcakes by Casey, Walk-O Taco and Dunkin' Community Cruiser.

Traditionally, the event has included the Rubber Duckie Race, which entailed dumping thousands of rubber ducks into the Conestoga River. To make the fundraiser more environmentally friendly, Schreiber will not drop any rubber ducks into the river, but supporters may still adopt a duck online with a donation to the organization. Similarly to years past, adopting a duck will include an entry in a prize drawing.

"We wanted to find a way to bring the festival to our campus," said Schreiber's marketing and communications manager, Alexandra Cahill. "This is where all of our families and clients are comfortable, and it's accommodating for people with mobility issues."

For the past 36 years, the Rubber Duckie Race and Festival has served as one of Schreiber's largest fundraisers, and it often draws more than 1,000 attendees. The funds raised from the event are used to cover the organization's general expenses and treatment costs for patients who are unable to pay the full amount.

For more information or to register for a race, visit http://www.schreiberpediatric.org/events/duckies/.