While in Memphis, we stayed at The Peabody Hotel, a legendary, luxury hotel. 
The big draw is the twice daily march of the ducks who spend their days in the lobby fountain. The duck master oversees their peregrinations.
At 11 a.m. the ducks arrive and at 5 p.m. they march back, on a red carpet, to their duck house on the roof of the hotel. Quacked us up!
6 comments:
I guess the overarching question is WHY? as in WHY do they have ducks in the hotel? WHY do the ducks have a parade?
Very cute, though!
Is there duck on the menu? Just wondering if this is the latest manifestation of the locavore thing....
There is a picture book that I have read that tells this story. But I don't remember why the ducks are there, or what the name of the book is! I think it has to do with a pet duck, perhaps, or something like that, and then she became an attraction.
Okay, I should have put this in the original post. Apparently, in the 1930s, some (drunk) duck hunters put some live decoy ducks (you could use LIVE ducks as decoys back then) into the fountain on a lark (bad pun). Everyone loved the idea so much that the ducks stayed and a legend was born. Or hatched. Or something.
They still use live decoys in France. And, if you aren't a successful decoy, you're dinner!
I stayed at the Peabody last spring--a grand old hotel! And, across the street from the Kooky Kanuck where they have poutine when they aren't remodeling...
How can you not love a hotel with a DUCK MASTER?!
A most informative and entertaining post, Ronna. I think ducks are just funny, period.
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