06/07/2023
Come to Leonardtown!
Leonardtown Is Doing It For The Duck
Leonardtown is famous for doing anything it can to bring tourists into town to support local businesses and boost its profile, but this time it may have outdone itself.
Town Administrator Laschelle McKay said in August the Town Wharf will host the Worldās Largest Rubber Duck.
At 61-feet tall the duck will be the main attraction at a waterfront celebration the town is now planning, McKay said.
āSomeone mentioned it to me last year and I thought it was cool,ā McKay said. āItās got a huge following.
āThere are people who drive miles and miles to see it.ā
She was able to make contact with the owners of the attraction, Craig Samborski and his team, but lost track of them for months, McKay said, until recently when they agreed to make an appearance in town.
McKay said the duck would be in town for three days, it would essentially be a First Friday event all weekend long.
āIām very excited about it,ā she said. āItās a big draw for visitors.
āMost people Iāve talked to are really excited about it, too.ā
The last time the attraction was on the East Coast, she said, was in 2019.
Lately it has been seen in places like Detroit, Michigan and Two Harbors, Minnesota.
Samborski is a major events promoter who has often worked to bring tall ships to various locales around the country; he had the Worldās Largest Rubber Duck constructed in 2014.
Samborski said years ago he was in Los Angeles promoting a tall ships festival when a friend of his told him what he was doing would not be enough.
āHe said I needed to go big or go home,ā Samborski said. āHe said I needed to build the worldās largest rubber duck.ā
Samborski contracted with builders who had specialized in working with balloons who then used inflatables for advertising and the 8-ton, 64-foot wide, 74-foot long duck was born.
āItās just so big, you canāt miss it,ā Samborski said. āYou forget all your troubles when you see her; it just exudes happiness and joy.
āSheās a big girl.ā
Tentative Dates 8/4/23 - 8/6/23
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