Susie the Duck has been the mascot for Lodi, Wisconsin, Columbia County since 1948. Indeed Lodi is known near and far as the Home of Susie the Duck. She has a special spot and small park where she resides where Spring Creek crosses Main Street, downtown.
Every year the town holds a “Susie the Duck Day” celebration which features a rubber duck race. It’s usually in August.
On this day, the town literally pours thousands of rubber ducks in the water and they race to the finish line. This photo, courtesy of the Portage Daily Register, shows how they do it. I commend this web site to you for other interesting photos and background. Brat stands are put up along with a beer garden to mark the festivities. There are games, and a car show.
Gotta show you a photo of the Susie Duck Derby, courtesy of Lodi Valley News.com.
As legend has it, a country mallard made Lodi her home in 1948. She settled in the downtown and laid her eggs in a large masonry basket full of flowers. Observers came from all over to watch the eggs hatch. The police chief’s granddaughter named the duck Susie.
Susie returns every year to her flower basket. Actually, many Susies have come to the basket over the years. We bumped into Susie while driving through Lodi. The park is lovely, Susie’s nest is lovely, and of course Susie is a real charmer. Here are some photos.
This is not my favorite shot of the small park, I’ll show you others, but the arrow points to Susie’s home basket to give you a sense of where everything is.
And there is Susie and her masonry basket.
A closeup! Lookin’ good Susie!
Here are some shots of this beautiful creekside park. There is a walkway and some benches where you can just sit and enjoy the beauty of the location. Very peaceful.
Oh, one more thing. Right at the entry to the park from Main Street are a couple machines from which you can get some food to feed Susie! Be ready to stand in line!
