Adoption forms are now available for some “lucky duck” topossibly win a million dollars in this year’s Duck Derby at the OleBrook Festival.

The Third Annual King’s Daughters Foundation Ladies League DuckDerby, scheduled for 6 p.m., Sept. 27, features an exciting twistthis year with the possibility of one of the adopted ducks beingworth $1 million, said JoAnna Sproles, director of King’s DaughtersFoundation.

“The million dollar possibility comes in when we’re going topick a certain duck that crosses the finish line,” Sproles said.”If that duck’s number matches the predetermined number someonewill walk away with a million dollars.”

If the duck does not match the number picked before the derbybegins, there will not be a million dollar prize.

The odds of winning the big prize are one for every 3,333 duckssold. The money will be paid in increments of $50,000 a year for 20years by the Million Dollar Duck sponsor Herring Gas.

“For every 3,333 ducks we sell, they’re going to put anotherMillion Dollar Duck in the race,” said Sproles. “Our goal is tosale 10,000, and that’s been our goal since the beginning. Ourfirst year, we sold 7,000, and we sold a little less lastyear.”

Duck adoptions began earlier this month, and will continuethrough the night of the Duck Derby. Forms are available at areabusinesses, banks, King’s Daughters Medical Center, doctors’offices and Duck Central, located behind the hospital.

People interested in participating in the race to win a milliondollars or $5,000 for first place, $2,500 for second place or$1,000 for third prize, can adopt the special rubber ducks for $6each or five ducks for $25, 10 ducks for $50 or $20 ducks for$100.

“They don’t even have to leave their house to adopt a duck. Theycan just call Duck Central at 835-9177 or 835-9366, and we’ll mailthem a form,” said Sproles.

Duck adoption forms are also available from several local groupsthat are selling forms as fund raisers. For each duck sold bynon-profit groups participating in the program, the group earns onedollar.

“There’s a lot of groups that could benefit from this program,”said Sproles, mentioning that some of the participants includechurch youth groups, Brookhaven High School’s junior class, BoyScouts, Girl Scouts, Habitat for Humanity and Catch-A-Dream.

Any schools or groups interested in the fund-raising program cancall Duck Central.

“We hope to get more people involved,” said Sproles.

Another way organizers are hoping to reach more people is byholding the event in conjunction with another popular family event,the Ole Brook Festival, that Friday and Saturday. The race was heldat the Sports Complex in July the last two years.

Funds raised through the Duck Derby will be used by thenon-profit organization Ladies League to make improvements at thehospital to the second and third floor patient rooms.

The first year’s race made the pediatric area of the hospitalmore kid-friendly and the second year’s funds were used to makeexpectant and new mothers and their families more comfortable onthe Labor, Delivery, Recovery and Postpartum (LDRP) wing.

“We’ve really expanded the project this year to benefit a largerpopulation. It will benefit anyone – men, women, old, young – whois either a patient in the hospital or who is a family member orfriend visiting,” said Sproles.