The weather was slightly cloudy but no rain, a perfect day for a duck launch.
All of the schools participating in the duck rearing program gathered at the cemetery’s innermost pond to bid farewell to their feathery friends. A DJ tent had been set up right next to the duck enclosure and Mr. Francis Hardnan, resident duck wrangler for the last six years, held up the ducks for the students to pat and to take pictures with. This is sadly Mr. Hardnan’s final year of the duck launch before he retires so we would like to say a big thank you for taking such good care of the cemetery ducks.
After the speech was made, thanking teachers, parents, and the staff of Mountain View Cemetery, Amber Duck wiggled into the crowd to lead the students in The Funky Chicken Dance, The Hokey Pokey, The Macarena, and the YMCA dance.
Once everyone had hokey-poked and wiggled their last, the announcement was made for the duck launch to begin. Teachers and parents lined up to create a tunnel, herding the ducks down the slope into the pond. The ducks were a little wide-eyed about this enthusiastic reception and tripped over each other until they finally managed to quack and splash their way into the pond.
On the way over to the second pond I had a chance to talk with Mr. Hardnan. He assured that once winter drew nearer the ducks would be sent to a local farm where the ducks will live until they pass of natural causes. The coyotes are always present and always a worry to the ducks, but according to Mr. Hardnan not a single duck has been eaten by a coyote.
As soon as the second group of ducks was launched into their new watery home, everyone made their way to the main building where pizza from Little Ceasar’s was given, a thanks to the students, teachers, and parents for raising the ducks and being part of their welcome to the cemetery.
Mrs. Kind, a teacher at Our Lady of Wisdom School in Chestermere, informed me that the ducks were donated by local farmers and the cemetery as part of a Bereavement Program. Her class’s ducks, Pickles and Fluffy, were carefully raised in the classroom and then each student got the chance to take them home for the weekend by getting their parents to fill out ‘adoption papers’. It was quite an amazing experience for the students to have one-on-one contact with the ducklings. The duck naming process was even used as a social studies lesson on democracy and voting.
The ducks are now splashing around in their new home and await the admiring looks of passers-by throughout the summer. Make sure you stop by and take a gander at the ducks, it will be worth it.
