Big Duck Lighting Is a Classic Holiday Tradition

It’s a holiday tradition more than three decades strong, and growing every year.

The annual Big Duck Lighting in Flanders is a classic Christmas community event, helping those in the Flanders and Riverhead area and throughout Suffolk County get into the holiday spirit.

It all started in 1988, when former Suffolk County Parks Director of Historic Services Lance Mallamo had the idea to make a community event of lighting the giant wreath that is placed around the neck of the well-known, can’t-miss-it, historic landmark, which sits at 1012 Flanders Road.

Sometime in the 1980s, community members started to put a wreath around the neck of the duck, which measures 30 feet from beak to tail, 15 feet wide from wing to wing, and 20 feet high from the base to the top of its head.

The duck was built in 1931, when Riverhead duck farmer Martin Maurer and his wife, Jeule Maurer, decided they wanted to construct a giant, duck-shaped poultry shop, originally located at West Main Street in Riverhead, as a way to attract customers and increase sales of Peking duck at their duck ranch. Duck ranches were all over Suffolk County at that time, and by 1969, the county produced 60 percent of the nation’s ducks. Today, that figured has dropped to below 15 percent.

The Maurers hired local carpenter George Reeve and brothers William and Samuel Collins, set designers by trade, to build the duck. Smith and Yeager Builders assisted with the construction, and a pair of Model-T Ford taillights were added as the eyes for the duck.

The Big Duck lived at West Main Street until 1936, when the Maurers relocated it to its current home on Route 24 in Flanders.

The duck didn’t stay there continuously, however.

In the late 1980s, after the duck farm boom had begun to wane, the land was slated for development. Residents who had come to view the duck as a cherished landmark joined forces with Suffolk County officials to preserve the duck. In 1987, Kia and Pouran Eshghi, who owned the duck at that time, donated the Big Duck to Suffolk County, and it was relocated to Sears Bellows Park, down the road at the fringe of Flanders. By 2007, when it was clear plans for redevelopment had fallen apart, and the Town of Southampton had purchased the land, the duck was returned to its rightful home, where it has stood ever since.

The duck is now a gift shop, and a nearby barn serves as a museum, showcasing the history of the duck and of duck farming in the area. While the town owns the property, the county owns the duck and is responsible for running and maintaining the duck, the gift shop, and the museum.

But the town is an active participant, with officials like former Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman and several Town Council members on hand from year to year at the lighting, alongside county officials. In recent years, after opening remarks from Richard Martin, Suffolk County’s director of historic services, and Suffolk County Parks Commissioner Jason Smagin, Schneiderman typically started the festivities off with a special little stand-up comedy routine, regaling the audience with a series of duck jokes, some that certainly fall into the category of “dad jokes” but get plenty of laughs nonetheless. Former Suffolk County Legislator Bridget Fleming has been a consistent attendee in years past as well.

Another longstanding tradition at the duck lighting is a special performance from the Riverhead Middle School Show Choir, which sings a series of Christmas carols with reworked duck-themed lyrics. Those lyrics were created by Mallamo many years ago, and choir director Nadine Greenberg said her students enjoy the event every year.

“It’s a tradition for us,” she said at last year’s lighting. “The kids really look forward to it every year, and they look forward to sometimes being on the news or in the newspaper. They feel like they’re part of history. We’re so grateful to be a part of it.”

Another big draw for the community, and families in particular, is the fact that one very distinguished guest has shown up at the lighting every year for the past several years, with a very special escort. About midway through the ceremony, the big man himself, Santa Claus, arrives at the Big Duck, driven in on the back of a Flanders Fire Department truck, with sirens blaring. Santa then takes to the stage and children line up, waiting for their turn to put in their requests. Santa also officially flips the switch to light up the wreath.

While it’s an event that has plenty of appeal for young children, people of all ages have made it a holiday tradition to come to the lighting. Michael Allen and his wife, Linda, were on hand last year, and said they regularly make the trek from their home in Commack out to the duck. Michael was clutching a large bright yellow rubber duckie he had purchased at the shop, as they listened to the Riverhead choir sing carols.

“We get quacked up over this,” he quipped, when speaking about why he and his wife make the trek to the Big Duck year after year.

“I love it here. It’s a lot of fun,” Linda added.

The couple said they’d be adding the rubber duckie to a collection of duck-themed items and memorabilia in their home.

Seeing people of all ages come together, enjoy the lighting and get into the Christmas spirit is what it’s all about, according to Martin, the county’s current director of historic services.

“This was just a community sing-along at first, and it’s grown to this,” he said last year, in what was the 35th edition of the event. “Every year we try to keep this tradition alive. People sometimes think historic sites have to be serious, but this is light-hearted and fun.

“The important thing is that it brings people together,” he continued. “And that’s what the holidays are all about.”

The lighting of The Big Duck will take place on Wednesday, December 4, at 8 p.m. at 1012 Flanders Road in Riverhead. For more information, visit bigduck.org.