The ducks go marching one by one

 

 
The historian told the crowd gathered at The Peabody Hotel in Memphis, TN the backstory about the ducks. Frank Schutt, general manager 1925-1956 was on a duck hunting trip with his buddy.  They got to sipping Jack Daniels and before they knew it, they hadn't any ducks other than the live decoys. They put them in the hotel fountain. In the morning, realizing what they had done, and expecting a big mess in the lobby, they hurried in to see...the ducks still paddling in the fountain.

A guest staying at the hotel was an animal trainer for Barnum& Bailey Circus. He told Schutt that he could train the ducks to walk off the elevator and down a red carpet and into the fountain everyday at a specified time. Schutt agreed this would be a wonderful attraction. To this day, the "duck walk" draws crowds at 11:00 and 5:00 each day.

The fountain was carved out of a solid piece of Italian marble.

Children are allowed to sit on either side of the red carpet and watch the ducks march. That light in the background is at the elevator area. the ducks live in the penthouse and each day the handler goes to the roof and brings them down for their swim. If you click directly on the photo and look closely you can see the man in a red jacket with the ducks waddling behind. It was difficult to take pictures from our vantage point.

Hubby was less than enthusiastic when only four ducks exited the elevator in single file. he expected a dozen. But, it was a sight to behold, something we can say we have seen.

These photos were taken in the earlier days when Buddy Moreno performed.

Come back tomorrow to view holiday displays, and a two story Christmas tree in the lobby.