CLEARWATER \u2014 “What the Duck?”<\/p>\n
That\u2019s the question Clearwater residents and tourists will be asking in January as a gargantuan inflatable creature \u2014 one that stands taller than many downtown buildings \u2014 floats toward the city’s waterfront, promising to challenge public perception and ignite debate.<\/p>\n
The \u201cWorld\u2019s Largest Rubber Duck,\u201d an art installation of immense proportions and undeniable kitsch, is confirmed to serve as the central fixture for a 17-day festival at Coachman Park. The structure, affectionately dubbed \u201cMama Duck,\u201d is scheduled to be on display Jan. 10-26, after the Downtown Development Board voted unanimously Nov. 3 to fund it.<\/p>\n
This is no ordinary bath toy: the structure stands 61 feet high, equivalent to six stories, and measures 64 feet wide and 74 feet long. Its mission, according to its website, is to bring \u201clove and joy to the globe.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arts and Cultural Affairs Manager Amber Brice outlined the exhibit\u2019s strategic purpose, acknowledging its controversial nature while banking on its inevitable magnetism.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome people won\u2019t get it. Some people will think it\u2019s funny, some people will think it\u2019s stupid, but they will be talking about the duck,\u201d Brice said.<\/p>\n
City Council member Ryan Cotton echoed the sentiment, noting, \u201cI think that this is unique, fun, even the haters, like you pointed out, are going to be talking about it, so I think when you have that type of buzz, people are gonna want to see the giant six-story duck, right?\u201d<\/p>\n
The overall production and event budget for the installation and associated \u201cDuck Days\u201d activities totals $59,155. About $30,000 in DDB funds were sought, but after staff review, the DDB approved funding not to exceed $21,000 to cover direct production costs and city fees. Event organizers anticipate generating $17,000 in total income from external revenue streams to offset the overall cost.<\/p>\n
During the funding discussion, Council member Mike Mannino highlighted a key fiscal data point, the project\u2019s internal marketing budget. \u201cIt’s only $1,500 (for marketing and advertising), right? That\u2019s a good thing and it\u2019s appreciated because we see some events that get a couple thousand people and they put $30,000-$40,000 in a marketing budget,\u201d Mannino stated.<\/p>\n
Council member David Allbritton stressed the necessity of promotional efforts, commenting that for any event of this scale, \u201cThe most important part of this is getting the word out.\u201d<\/p>\n
The massive inflatable will serve as the backdrop for seven distinct public events over the 17-day period. With the exception of participation in the Duck Dash 5K, all events are free to the public.<\/p>\n
The kickoff is a preliminary, paid exclusive photo opportunity on Jan. 9, aimed primarily at Jeep owners. This is followed immediately by the first major public draw on Jan. 10, the established Market Marie, which will feature vendor participation and shopping opportunities. The next morning, Jan. 11, the Duck Dash 5K fun run is scheduled, which will promote health and wellness in a family-friendly atmosphere.<\/p>\n
The central celebration, the Rubber Ducky\u2019s Birthday Bash, is set for Jan. 17 to mark National Rubber Duck Day. This event will feature confirmed concerts by popular children\u2019s entertainers Jack Hartmann, noted for his extensive social media following of 5 million on YouTube, and Mr. Brad. Attendees can expect bounce houses, face painting, and children\u2019s crafts.<\/p>\n
For additional community engagement, Rubber Duck Races will also be organized with local schools or scout troops, allowing those organizations to retain all proceeds. A midweek event, Scenes on the Green, on Jan. 23, is planned as a duck-themed movie night that will feature films such as \u201cThe Mighty Ducks\u201d or \u201cDuckTales: The Movie.\u201d<\/p>\n
The grand finale is the Duck \u2018n\u2019 Drive Jeep Invasion on Jan. 24, designed to leverage the cultural bond of the Jeep community. This festival will include vehicle displays, live music, axe throwing, and a \u201cTouch-a-Jeep\u201d area, with the event footprint extending into the 500 block of Cleveland Street.<\/p>\n
Council member Lina Teixeira praised the thoughtfulness and organization of the event.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a great example of strategic, well thought out planning, from involving the Jeeps with their affinity and their history with rubber ducks to actually timing it perfectly in conjunction for the birthday bash,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The primary purpose of the exhibition, Brice confirmed, is to drive regional attendance.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur other main goal is to get people downtown and to bring people from not even all over Clearwater, but neighboring counties. And this is something unique enough that I think will do that,\u201d Brice said.<\/p>\n
The massive structure itself will be illuminated nightly, guaranteeing visibility from the Memorial Causeway Bridge and surrounding boating areas.<\/p>\n
Mayor Bruce Rector hailed the project’s appeal, saying, “It looks like a great idea and unique thing, and I think that’s what we want to be known for, Coachman Park, you know, different unique things, and this certainly is unique.”<\/p>\n
To ensure the safety of the public and the installation, the 61-foot-high inflatable will be secured within a perimeter controlled by 28 barricades throughout its duration. The installation period concludes immediately after its final day on Jan. 26.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"CLEARWATER \u2014 “What the Duck?” That\u2019s the question Clearwater residents and tourists will be asking in January as…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":51217,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[1339,596,32427,202,204,203,199,201,200,1740],"class_list":["post-51216","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-st-petersburg","tag-clearwater","tag-pinellas-county","tag-rubber-duck","tag-st-pete","tag-st-pete-headlines","tag-st-pete-news","tag-st-petersburg","tag-st-petersburg-headlines","tag-st-petersburg-news","tag-world"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51216","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51216"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51216\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/51217"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51216"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51216"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51216"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}