FLANDERS, N.Y. (AP) — Who needs Rockefeller Center when you have the Big Duck?
It was 1931 when construction workers in soon-to-be Rockefeller Center put up a modest Christmas tree to begin what would become one of New York City’s greatest traditions. That same year, a Long Island farmer decided to build a giant duck-shaped shop where he could sell fresh ducks and eggs by the side of the road.
Seventy-five years later, as tens of thousands of people and celebrities attended the Rockefeller Center tree-lighting last night, a much smaller group will gather 75 miles to the east to light the Big Duck.
A volunteer fire department, a middle-school choir and local baseball team mascot named “Quacker Jack” will light up the 20-foot-tall duck. Santa Claus will arrive atop a firetruck and youngsters will sing carols adapted to a duck theme: “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” becomes “Big Duck the White Winged Waterfowl.”
The duck, which measures 30 feet from beak to tail and features Model-T taillights for eyes, will be adorned with a huge wreath around its neck and festive holiday garland and lights surrounding its base.
“It’s just a quirky type event,” said Emily Lauri of the Suffolk County Parks Department, which now maintains the Big Duck as a year-round attraction.
Having once graced a 1987 New Yorker magazine cover, the Big Duck is one of Long Island’s best-known landmarks and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Inside, visitors can purchase duck memorabilia (called duck-a-bilia), obtain travel and tourism information, and perhaps learn a little about the legacy of the Long Island duck.
The duck is such a recognizable icon on Long Island that it was adopted as the identity of two professional sports teams — an Eastern Hockey League franchise that operated from 1959 to 1973, and an Atlantic League baseball team that started in 2000.
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