The Big Duck in Flanders will hold its annual holiday lighting on Wednesday, Dec. 3, an event expected to draw hundreds of residents as it marks nearly 40 years of the county’s longstanding seasonal tradition.
Long Island’s well-known duck will be decorated with a wreath that lights up with help from children in attendance, said Richard Martin, director of Suffolk County Historic Services.
Martin said the ceremony will include a holiday concert by the Riverhead Middle School choir, dancing by Gaelic Grooves in Mattituck and photos with Santa, who will arrive on a Flanders Fire Department truck. After Santa’s arrival, children on stage will assist with the lighting countdown.
The event is hosted by Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine.
“Suffolk County is proud to host this holiday tradition and bring our communities together at our region’s most unique and popular historical landmark,” he told South Shore Press. “I encourage families to join us at The Big Duck Lighting this year as we usher in the holiday spirit.”
The ceremony begins at 7 p.m. Martin recommends spectators arrive between 6 and 6:30 p.m. He estimated turnout could reach about 600 people. Park rangers will direct traffic to a field behind the duck, located at 1012 Route 24 in Flanders.
Families may visit the gift shop inside The Big Duck, which carries duck-themed items, books on the duck’s history and holiday merchandise.
The shop will be open until 8:30 p.m. on the night of the event and is open daily through the holidays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Martin said.
An exhibit in the nearby barn outlines the history of the county’s duck ranches in the 1950s and 1960s, Martin said.
The Big Duck was originally a store that sold duck meat. It is operated as a historic site by the town of Southampton, while the structure itself was gifted to the county in 1987. The building and surrounding property are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
“The duck is famous; it’s literally famous worldwide as an example of roadside architecture popular in the 20th century,” Martin said. “It was built in 1931 and as people started driving out to the countryside, this was an attraction to get them to stop.”
The annual lighting began as a small event with attendees standing at the door of The Big Duck, Martin said. He said turnout now may reach as many as 600 people. Proceeds from gift shop sales support county historic sites, which currently total more than 200.
For more information, residents can visit the county website.