LONG BEACH, Miss. (WLOX) \u2014 Rubber ducks, duck air fresheners and crocheted ducks are all over Jeepin the Coast, each carrying its own message of kindness and community.<\/p>\n
The trend started during the COVID lockdown when a Canadian woman left a rubber duck on a stranger\u2019s Jeep to say she liked it. The gesture took off among Jeep owners.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo me, it\u2019s an act of kindness to brighten your day- makes somebody\u2019s day a little bit brighter. You never know what somebody\u2019s going through,\u201d said Michelle Givens, Jeep Enthusiast.<\/p>\n
The ducks can take on different meanings for Jeep owners.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have one in my sub box that has a sunflower on its head that I was hand-given, and it is in honor of this lady\u2019s daughter who was killed,\u201d Givens said.<\/p>\n
Ricardo Lara, a Jeep driver, displays ducks with a military theme on his wife\u2019s vehicle.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy wife had the idea of doing a military theme, and then she told me she wanted a Jeep. Then, she told me she wanted a green Jeep. Because I served, she had the idea to go ahead and do a military theme,\u201d Lara said.<\/p>\n
\u201cMost of the ducks were given to us. Some of them we did buy because we were missing some slots. And of course, we wanted to represent all the armed forces. Even the Space Force.\u201d<\/p>\n
Some Jeep owners display dozens of ducks while others display just a few.<\/p>\n
Jeepin the Coast continues in Long Beach through Sunday.<\/p>\n