For 75 years, the Peabody Hotel in Memphis has hosted a group of mallard ducks in the hotel. At 11 a.m. every day, a duck march begins as the ducks waddle off the elevator, down a red carpet, and up a set of stairs and into the fountain. A duck master guides them on their walk. Some one cleans up after them throughout the day. And, at 5 p.m. every day, the ducks hop back out of the fountain and march back to the elevator. It's quite civilized and quite fun to watch. What's more, it attracts a lot of visitors to the Peabody Hotel chain!
The Legend of the Ducks
According to the cocktail napkins "Back in 1933 Frank Schutt, General Manager of The Peabody, and a friend, Chip Barwick, returned from a weekend hunting trip to Arkansas. The men had a little too much Jack Daniel's Tennessee sippin' whiskey, and thought it would be funny to place some of their live duck decoys (it was legal then for hunters to use live decoys) in the beautiful Peabody fountain." People liked it and a tradition began.
In 1940, Bellman Edward Pembroke, a former circus animal trainer, offered to help with delivering the ducks to the fountain each day and taught them the now-famous Peabody Duck March. Over the years, the Peabody Marching Ducks have appeared on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, Sesame Street, when Bert and Ernie celebrated Rubber Ducky Day, The Oprah Winfrey Show, and in People magazine and the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. They've even been a question on Jeopardy.
Ducks Are A Major Attraction at Expanded Hotel Chain
Today, there are three Peabody Hotels operated by the Peabody Hotel Group: The Peabody Memphis, The Peabody Orlando, and The Peabody Little Rock. Each hotel has its own "Duck Master" although from time to time, there are celebrity Duck Masters who get to help out during a special event. Every hotel has its own "Duck Palace" on the rooftop which is a 24 by 12 foot enclosure with granite flooring, ceiling fans, a scale replica of the hotel, a fountain decorated with a pair of bronze ducks, and a large viewing window for guests to look into. Ducks are a theme throughout. The rooms have duck shaped soap in them and the gift shop is filled with tasteful duck items. Most importantly - duck is NOT served any where on the menu.
Don't Miss A Chance to See the Ducks
I was lucky enough to see the duck march this week in Orlando, Florida and I took several photos (like the grainy one from my iPhone in this blog). The duck march is great fun for everyone to watch -- especially by the kids who get special attention from the Duck Master.
I'd love to get to the original hotel in Memphis some day. And, if I ever make the trek to Little Rock to see the Clinton Library, I'll definitely plan to stay at the Peabody there. It's not every day that you get to enjoy the elegance of the American South complete with live ducks in a fountain. Glad to see that a whole hotel chain can be successfully developed around this concept.
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