Here’s a gamble you can’t lose: Mass Audubon will send about 6,000 rubber ducks from Buzzards Bay into Allens Pond in Westport on Saturday just after noon. The sponsor of the first duck to cross the finish line wins dinner for two anywhere in the world, with round-trip airfare and two nights’ lodging.
The winner of last year’s Duck Derby, Caron Rocha of South Dartmouth, chose a trip to Hawaii. Rocha’s rubber champ, which her son named “Panda,’’ floated the 100-yard route in 5 minutes flat.
There’s lots of lesser prizes, but everyone’s a winner because all proceeds go to support conservation and nature education efforts at the Allens Pond Wildlife Sanctuary. More than 300 species of birds have been recorded on the hundreds of acres of beach, fields, woodlands, pond, and marsh, including piping plovers, which nest on the 1.5-mile stretch of coastal beach. Last year’s race raised $53,000 for Allens Pond, organizers said.
It’s $10 to sponsor a duck. Go to massaudubon.org/duckderby to reserve yours.
Rule number one for those attending Verrill Farm’s annual Corn & Tomato Festival in Concord on Saturday: Don’t wear white!
Slurp your way through 30 varieties of tomatoes, sliced for easy sampling. Leave room for sweet corn slathered in sun-warmed butter. Grab extra napkins.
The festival runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the farm, 11 Wheeler Road. Admission for all the tomatoes and corn you can eat is $12, free for kids under 5. Visit verrillfarm.com.
Lynn celebrates its kaleidoscope of cultures with events all week focusing on new large-scale murals being drawn around downtown. The Beyond Walls project brings internationalist artists to help create 27 new murals and talk about their art.
The two-week festival ends with Rock the Block from 1 to 9 p.m. Saturday, including food trucks, street vendors, bands, artists at work, and a beer garden. Don’t miss the parade along the mural route at 4:15 p.m. and the accompanying dance party.
For a full list of events, visit beyond-walls.org.
Marcia Dick can be reached at marcia.dick@globe.com.
