Duck, Duck. No Goose.

The story you did not know you needed is right here for your Monday reading pleasure:

World's Largest Rubber Duck Waddles Into MD For Two Special Events

The world's largest rubber duck will be bobbing in the Bay for 2 community events in MD. It's the duck's 1st time visiting the DMV region.

You can find all the details in this story by Kristin Danley Griner, a staff writer for Patch.

All photos courtesy of Craig Samborski, owner of the world’s largest rubber duck

I have a few things to share that went through my mind as I read this story. First: these ducks will not be waddling anywhere. They have no feet. They arrive by truck and then float on water. There will not now, nor will there ever be, any waddling.

Second: how can Columbia hope to be a world class city if we don’t even rate a visit from the world’s largest rubber duck (and her baby Timmy)? Surely the Howard Hughes Corporation can see their way clear to forking over the $9,500 cost of bringing the aquatic celebrities to town? Why should Leonardtown and Crisfield have all the fun?

Just imagine the festivities at the Lakefront. Photo opportunities galore! And just think how enormous they would appear in Lake Kittamaqundi. Impressive, even.

The Collective Offshore could feature a special rubber duck menu, and Whole Foods could market specially curated Rubber Duck picnic boxes for the family. Over at The 3rd, I can envision another of their Kidpreneurs events with young folks marketing duck-themed items and possibly hosting a yellow ducky craft table as well. Encore could host a kid friendly Sesame Street themed concert kicked off by - - what else ? - - “Rubber Ducky.”

I’m trying to picture the sorts of things that the Columbia Association would do. Duck yoga? Duckercise at dawn? Mommy and me Ducky Fun Run?

Howard Hughes would create an out-of-this-world, midnight “canoes and cocktails event” for exclusive water access to the visiting ducks. For an additional fee you could spend the night at a Howard Hughes property in the Merriweather District for a Rubber Duck Rendezvous.

Is any of this likely to happen? Probably not. But, until recently, I’d never have believed that pink elephants ever came to town, either. You never know.

Image included in Baltimore Sun article, 2017

Comments

Teacher Gifts

Today is the last day of school before the Winter Break. It’s a good time to remember the far-reaching nature of our public school system. You may not have children. You may have sent your children to independent schools. It matters not. You will be impacted one way or another. Yesterday I read a long thread on Facebook about several waves of illness in the schools right now. There’s influenza A and norovirus, I believe. And of course there’s COVID. Apparently in some individual schools the rate of illness is high enough for school admin to notify parents. When I was little the acceptable holiday gift for a teacher was one of those lovely floral handkerchief squares. (I don’t know what it was for male teachers. They were rare in my elementary years.) These days the range of teacher gifts is wider and I have fond memories of Target gift cards which I have written about before. I think it’s safe to say that giving one’s teacher Influenza, norovirus, or COVID is not the ideal holiday...

Getting Fresh

One of my favorite days in the Spring comes when this year’s list of Farmer’s Markets is released. That happened this week. New this year are markets in Old Ellicott City and the “Merriweather Market” which, according to the address, will be located here . I mistakenly thought at first glance that it was in the new-construction part of the Merriweather District. I find the name confusing considering its actual location. I’m going to guess that this market is an initiative of the Howard Hughes Corporation because the name seems chosen more for branding purposes than anything else. Alas, the market in Maple Lawn is gone. The thread on the markets on the County Executive’s FB page will provide you with quite the education in who actually runs the Farmers Markets vs what people often think is going on. Short answer: they are not chosen nor run by the county. Each market is an independent entity, sometimes started by community volunteers, other times supported by local businesses...

They Can Wait

This is not a typical Saturday post. That’s because, in my community, it’s not a typical Saturday. Oakland Mills High School, after years of deferred repair, needs massive renovation. It’s pretty simple: when you don’t fix a problem it gets bigger. The school system itself said the the OMHS school building was "no longer conducive to learning" back in 2018. 2018 . But Thursday the Boad of Education voted to push it out of the lineup of important projects which will be given the go-ahead to proceed soonest. In my opinion it’s a terrible decision and sets a dangerous precedent. To explain, here’s the advocacy letter I sent in support of Oakland Mills High School. I was rather proud of it. I am writing to ask you to proceed with needed renovation at Oakland Mills High School in the most timely and comprehensive manner humanly possible. I have read the letter sent to you by the Oakland Mills Community Association and I am in complete agreement. You are extremel...

Village Green/Town²

Search This Blog