CHANGE MY LOCATION
Local
California News
Multimedia News
New Year’s Eve will be ducky in Havre de Grace
SEE HOW THIS STORY DEVELOPED
Related Topics: Havre de Grace, Md.
Havre de Grace, Md. (Map, News) - The duck will drop to ring in the new year in Havre de Grace after all.
When a lack of funding and volunteers threatened to end the decade-old tradition, firefighters stepped up to help make it happen.
“We couldn’t get a sponsor to take on the expense,” said Joyce Irwin, a volunteer with the city’s tourism office. “Nobody picked up the ball.”
In years past, the eclectic, electric decoy descended from the top of an extended fire truck’s ladder.
But this year, no volunteer groups took on the organization and fundraising necessary to get the decoy refurbished and aloft, leaving the city to wait until the last minute for a solution.
It came Friday afternoon when Chief Scott Hurst of the Susquehanna Hose Co. declared that his organization would bring back the duck’s creators to touch it up for the drop, and the city leaped into motion to get set up for the New Year’s Eve celebration.
“We only had to change a few bulbs, touch up the Styrofoam and replace a few fuses,” Hurst said.
When word that the Duck Drop would be canceled reached Hurst, he called Mayor Wayne Dougherty and offered firefighters’ services.
Within a few hours Friday, a Department of Public Works truck was taking the decoy from storage to be prepared for the countdown to 2008.
The drop had become a signature tourist event in a town famous for its decoy museum and summer Decoy Festival. Visitors would dine out, see the Duck Drop and sleep in the city’s many bed and breakfasts, said Jane Currier, innkeeper at the Currier House on Market Street.
Dougherty said he hoped to
approach J.M. Huber about sponsoring the Duck Drop next year, perhaps even putting a permanent rig atop their tower to lower the duck during the countdown.
“It’s our duck,” the mayor said, “and I’m not willing to give it up.”
msantoni@baltimoreexaminer.com
Comments from Examiner Readers
3:20 PM MST on Sat., Jan. 5, 2008 re: "New Year’s Eve will be ducky in Havre de Grace"
Report as inappropriate
11:20 AM MST on Mon., Dec. 31, 2007
re: "New Year’s Eve will be ducky in Havre de Grace"
Report as inappropriate
Examiner Reader said:
i have lived in havredegrace for eight years and may i say it is the best towniever live in. forth of july with the fire works and parade and than new years eve with the tradition of dropping of the duck and fire works. great job to everyone that was involve.
84 agree | 75 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
Leroy Johnson said:
Man havrdisgrace is da bomb diggidy. Aint no Arbys up here. So I eat at the Laurrapin. Man the tuna app is best served rare.
79 agree | 77 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree