by Elizabeth Connolly
Hometown Weekly Reporter
The question can be heard all around town: at baseball games, at the town pool, at the library (quietly, of course), and on social media. What’s with the giant ducks that have appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, throughout Walpole?
As it turns out, the surprise was intentional. The ducks were placed in North, South, East, West, and Central Walpole on Friday night, June 14th, with no advertising.
“The whole idea was to create something to make people smile,” said Ms. Valerie Bishop, member of the 300th anniversary committee and brain-child behind the duck sculptures. “We wanted to find a way to celebrate Walpole's 300th with an event that the whole town could enjoy. So, we decided on the Duck Project. Five duck statues were painted by 12 High School Art students under the guidance of the Art Director, Sandra Allison.”
The hand-painted waterfowl are also part of a contest, of sorts. Residents are invited to vote on their favorite duck between now and August 15th; the winning water bird will receive the honor of riding in its very own float during the 300th anniversary parade taking place on Saturday, October 5th.
Residents are also encouraged to spend some time visiting Birdy, Lewey, Morgan (signed by the legendary Red Sox manager himself), Maggie, and Wally this summer. Many children in town have already fallen in love with the ducks, expressing excitement rivaled only by a trip past the town’s beloved Dog Rock.
“It’s another duck!” hollered one enthusiastic child from the backseat of a car driving by Maggie recently.
Congratulations to the art students that participated in the making of the ducks: Mia Destito, Sienna Ddungu, Nikol Kamenova, Deidra Ceesay, Amanda Brennan, Gabrielle Villeneuve, Rachel Hickey, Sofia Baroletti, Briella Clinton, Sakeena Abbasi, Shivani Mandulapalli and Eve Brousaides.
For more information on the Duck Project, including the making of the ducks, a place to upload duck photos, and your chance to vote on your favorite, please visit www.walpole300.com/the-ducks
