You can usually find a few ducks enjoying the water in the Little Schuylkill River in Tamaqua. During the summer months, you may be lucky enough to see a few ducklings, too.

Tamaqua's duck population is composed mostly of American black ducks, teals and mallards, but on Sunday, a totally new breed will be found bobbing and floating on the river, compliments of the Tamaqua Fire Police. Some might complain about the newcomers competing with the native ducks for space, food and water rights, but, don't worry, the increase in duck population is temporary.Father's Day is the day the fire police will be releasing 3,000 yellow rubber ducks into the wilds of the river for the annual Rubber Duck Race.The event will start at the Elm Street bridge at 3 p.m., racing to the finish line which is just south of the Cedar Street bridge. Each duckie will have a number, corresponding to tickets which are now on sale. The "owner" of the first duck to cross the finish line will win $1,000. Three additional prizes will be awarded.Tamaqua's Fire Police organization currently has about two dozen members, but, like any volunteer organization, the number of actively involved members is much smaller. In 2015, fire police responded to 108 calls, volunteering 727 man hours for the public welfare as they controlled/detoured traffic, controlled crowds, set up helicopter landing zones, assisted emergency and police personnel and helped numerous community organizations.Bob Schlorf serves as the organization's captain, with Brent Confer and Jack Bowman as lieutenants. Other officers are Dave Hadesty, president; Len Zoba, vice president; Ed Sassaman, secretary; and Charlie Hollenbach, treasurer.The race is being held in conjunction with the Tamaqua Historical Society's Heritage Festival on Sunday. Tickets will be available the day of the race. Rain date will be June 26.For more information on the organization, or to buy race tickets, call 570-668-4170.