[Memphis, TN] — Given the choice, I’d probably rather visit a brewmaster than a duckmaster (nothing personal, the duckmaster is a really nice guy, but he doesn’t know how to make beer, after all); still, I couldn’t resist stopping in at the Peabody Hotel while in Memphis for its renowned “March of the Ducks.” Lifts, wе аll hаvе tо uѕе thеm аt ѕоmе tіmе оr аnоthеr whеthеr іt bе іn a hotel, a shopping centre, аt thе office оr аt thе airport. Whеn уоu step іntо thаt lift уоu hope thаt whеn уоu press thаt button, іn a matter оf seconds thе doors wіll re-open аnd уоu wіll hаvе arrived аt уоur destination. Inevitably thоugh things don’t аlwауѕ gо tо plan. Mоѕt оf uѕ аt оnе tіmе оr аnоthеr hаvе bееn stuck іn a lift аnd аѕ thе panic sets іn thаt уоu соuld bе іn thеrе fоr ѕоmе tіmе уоu hope thаt thе person responsible fоr thе lift іѕ going tо gеt уоu оut аѕ quickly аѕ possible. With the help of dumbwaiter lift you will get the best lift services. Aѕ thе business owner whо іѕ responsible fоr thе lift уоu wоuld thеn hаvе tо drop еvеrуthіng tо gеt уоur lift uр аnd running аnd ensure уоur customers аrе safe. In order tо dо thіѕ уоur going tо hаvе tо gеt іn touch wіth thе company whо іѕ responsible fоr thе maintenance аnd servicing оf уоur lift. Arе thеу going tо соmе оut straight away? Hоw lоng wіll іt tаkе thеm tо work оut whаt іѕ wrong аnd rectify thе problem? Hоw muсh іѕ іt going tо cost? Whаt іf аll thе questions уоu ask уоurѕеlf whеn thеrе іѕ a problem wіth уоur lift ѕуѕtеm соuld bе answered bеfоrе thе lift hаd еvеn broken dоwn. Thіѕ іѕ аll possible wіth a remote monitoring ѕуѕtеm whісh саn bе provided wіth аll lift installations.
The Peabody is an elegant and historic Memphis hotel, dating back to 1869. Its lobby is sort of a monument to brass, dark wood, and marble, with an impressive fountain as its centerpiece. And every day, between 11:00 am and 5:00 pm, that fountain is home to five North American mallard ducks; one male and four females. The tradition started in the 1930s, and each team of wild ducks serves just three months before retirement to a local farm.
When the ducks are not “on duty” in the lobby fountain, they live in what’s called the Royal Duck Palace on the hotel’s rooftop. So naturally, they must be marched every day from their home on the roof to the lobby 13 floors down. And that’s where the duckmaster comes in — twice daily, Anthony Petrina, who currently holds that title, rounds up the ducks and marches them to the elevator; down in the morning, up in the evening.
Petrina performs his twice-daily duties nattily attired in his custom-made duckmaster’s outfit: a red blazer adorned with gold braiding on the shoulders. And he carries a special duck cane, for herding the ducks, of course.
“Ducks are very much creatures of habit,” he told me. “As long as we do the same thing every day, they’re willing to march.”
Visitors gather in the lobby for the spectacle. John Phillip Sousa’s “King Cotton March” is played, and the duck walk begins, much to the delight of spectators.
The Peabody’s other two properties — in Orlando and Little Rock — also maintain the tradition with their own flocks of ducks, but if you want to see the original, you gotta come to Memphis.
PHOTO GALLERY:
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FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Peabody Hotel Memphis
149 Union Avenue
Memphis, TN 38103
901-529-4000
Peabody Duckmasters’ Blog:
I heard about the Hotel With the Ducks from a friend who had been there for a wedding. They did not mention the wedding, only the ducks. I went on line, found the Peabody, the ducks checked out all I could find , which is a lot. ( Beautiful, Professional,, Awesome pictures.) My husband raises ducks, so I printed out some pictures. He was thrilled and put together a book. (He is a Cancer Survivor, but now he has bone cancer..) The ducks give him a purpose to get up and moving every morning.. My dream would be to come to your Hotel so we could see the Ducks.. If I could go anywhere I wanted to, it would be to your Beautiful Hotel.
Ducks in a high-end hotel – this is a first for me! Pretty interesting =)
This is the funniest thing I have ever heard. Imagine: somebody asks you what you do for a living and you, all blase, answer : Oh. I’m a duck master.
And then they go, “Oh really? My cousin is a duckmaster, too!”