Above / Gary Leavenworth fits the bill to help the Riverwalk Foundation get ducks in order to launch awareness campaign in celebration of the first 35 years of the Naperville Riverwalk.
Sometimes you just don’t know when you’re going to run into fun!
Today videographer Nick Chirico and a big rubber ducky hit the Riverwalk to begin taping brief vignettes for the 2016 Riverwalk Foundation campaign to celebrate the first 35 years of the winding brick path in the heart of Naperville.
We met up with jovial Gary Leavenworth who volunteered to wear the yellow duck float in the can-do spirit that he’d experienced when he helped build the beginning the brick path back in 1981. With fond memories of hundreds of volunteers during the city’s sesquicentennial celebration, Gary said he’d enjoy helping spread the word about the Riverwalk Duck Race slated for 10AM Tues., Aug. 16.
As we taped Gary’s segments, his big smile and cheerful antics attracted big smiles from passersby of all ages on the Riverwalk while he provided educational tidbits of information about the deleterious effects of feeding ducks breadcrumbs, popcorn and other human snacks.
“Don’t feed me. Don’t feed me,” said Gary-the-duck to a young girl who then gave the big duck a peck on the cheek.
We discovered visitors from cities in Wyoming, California, Michigan, Florida, Ohio and Illinois.
In town for a wedding, a woman from Wyoming who was waiting at the Jaycees Marina applauded the yellow ducky for raising awareness not to feed wildlife. She said they have a tough time educating nature-loving folks with good intentions who visit Yellowstone National Park that ducks, geese and other wildlife are not pets. She mentioned the bison that was captured recently and placed in the backseat of an SUV because tourists thought the young animal was cold.
Another woman informed us signs in parks and beaches throughout the United States say “Please do not feed the waterfowl” and “Let wildlife remain wild.”
Click any photo to enlarge. Discover some of the Riverwalk’s biggest fans. Ducks in no particular order!
[shareprints gallery_id=”61876″ gallery_type=”squares” gallery_position=”pos_center” gallery_width=”width_100″ image_size=”small” image_padding=”2″ theme=”dark” image_hover=”false” lightbox_type=”slide” comments=”false” sharing=”true”]Thanks to all the good sports who willingly helped heighten awareness that feeding ducks, geese and other waterfowl is unhealthful for the wildlife and the environment.
To find a whole bunch of education about what can happen to ducks, coyotes, deer, raccoons, humans and the rivers if you feed wildlife, simply search “why shouldn’t you feed wildlife” online. Thank you.
Riverwalk Duck Race / 10AM Tues., August 16
The Riverwalk Duck Race website was launched on the first full day of summer, June 21, 2016. Ducks are $5 each, a Quack Pack of five ducks is $20 and a Family Flock of 25 ducks is $100. Adopting ducks is available only online.
Two thousand ducks have been rented from the Rotary Club of Oswego, a service club that hosts an annual duck race on Father’s Day.
The duck race will begin at the footbridge (See Row 1/Photo #5) that leads to Centennial Beach. The race will end at the Eagle Street Bridge (See Row 2/Photo #6) between Aurora and Jackson avenues.
According to experienced duck racers, the Riverwalk Duck Race will last less than 10 minutes. Teens from the Alive Center have volunteered to help on race day.
For more information about why a duck race, visit www.riverwalkduckrace.com.
All proceeds will benefit the Riverwalk Foundation for education and enhancements along the winding brick path of the city’s natural treasure in the heart of the central business district. Come enjoy!
This website features an abundance of stories with photos about the Riverwalk. Click here for a few choices.
