Friday was the day to meet some new duck friends at the Prince Albert Early Years Family Resource Centre in the Gateway Mall.
Representatives from Memorial Gardens were on hand Friday morning to drop off ducks ahead of the annual Duck launch on June 11. Don Cody of Prince Albert Memorial Gardens said that Friday marked the unofficial beginning of this year’s duck launch.
“We bring them in about a month early and we take them to daycares and to schools so that they can enjoy them for about a month and then we launch them on June 11,” Cody explained. “It’s a kind of a ritual that we do each year which is all extremely important to the young people. The kids just love those ducks and it’s something that we enjoy.”
The partnership between Memorial Gardens and the various daycares helps teach children about raising animals, but Cody said that’s not the only benefit. Children of all ages will visit Memorial Gardens when a grandparent or other family member dies, and Cody wants them to associate the place with a peaceful atmosphere.
“We want it to be a place that’s not scary,” Cody explained. “It’s not a spooky place. We want to have people come there to visit their moms, dads, grandmas and grandpas, whoever they happen to be that we’re in our care now. That’s really what the reason is.”
One-year-old Boh Boechler had a chance to visit with a duck that leaped out of the crate during the duck drop off at the Prince Albert Early Years Family Resource Centre on Friday.
Memorial Gardens has run the duck drop off for 25 years. This is Cody’s 17th year being involved. He said he always enjoys seeing Prince Albert youth interact with the ducks.
“It’s something that we enjoy doing, and I think the public enjoys it,” he said. “I know in the middle of winter, people start asking, ‘when are the ducks coming? When are the ducks coming?’ So it’s something that the people enjoy,”
Cody said Friday’s stop at the Family Resource Centre was one of a dozen stops to drop off ducks this year.
Colleen Moody Coordinator of the Prince Albert Early Years Family Resource Centre said it’s special to have the ducks return each year.
“The kids absolutely love it,” Moody said. “It gives them an opportunity to see them right from beginning till they’re nice and big and at the duck launch, it’s just a wonderful family experience for everyone.”
The children had a chance to interact with the ducks after they were dropped off. Along with the ducks a crate and some food and water was also dropped off.
Moody said that the Centre has been involved for several years.
“This is the fourth year, I believe, that they’ve been coming here. Families just love it.
The kids get to see them grow. It’s wonderful,” she said.
She explained that the ducks are an important education lesson each year.
“It’s so important for the kids to have interaction and especially city kids, they don’t get to see this,” Moody said.
Cody said that everything was going fantastic so far on drop off day.
“We enjoy coming to these day cares and schools because it’s important to us to show them that there is some life out there,” Cody said. “This gives them some training as to how to grow things. That’s what we do.”
The 2026 Annual Duck Launch is on Thursday, June 11 at Memorial Gardens from 11:30 a.m. until 2 p.m.
