By Jackie Sheckler Finch
As new Duckmaster at the Peabody Hotel in Memphis, Kenon Walker has no doubts who is boss. After trailing the fowl on their daily march to the elevator, Kenon acknowledges the obvious.
“The ducks don’t actually follow me,” the 42-year-old admits. “They lead me.”
At 11 each morning, the ducks step to John Philip Sousa’s “King Cotton March” along a red carpet from their rooftop $200,000 Royal Duck Palace to the famous travertine marble fountain in the Grand Lobby.
There they splash and preen until 5 p.m., when the procession reverses and the ducks retire for the evening to their rooftop abode atop the Peabody Hotel. Visitors are invited to watch the free spectacle and to visit the rooftop for one of the best views of Memphis.
An excellent advantage offered by American Queen Voyages for its American Queen cruise from Memphis is having passengers arrive the night before the cruise departs. That is a great way to help make sure passengers don’t miss the cruise because of flight delays. It also allows passengers to enjoy Memphis sites and get a good night’s sleep at the famous Peabody Hotel.
American Queen Voyages also offers a two-night stay in Memphis before the cruise for the “Complete Memphis Experience,” which includes major Memphis attractions. Well worth the extra time and money. I opted for that for a chance to see Graceland, Stax Museum of American Soul Music, Sun Studio, National Civil Rights Museum, Beale Street and more. Let’s see how many of those I have time to visit.
8 Night – Memphis to St. Louis – American Queen
Birth of the Peabody Ducks
As the “South’s Grand Hotel,” the Peabody has drawn presidents, dignitaries, entertainers and folks from all walks of life. Opened in 1869 by Robert Campbell Brinkley on the corner of Main and Monroe in downtown Memphis, the original hotel was named in honor of Brinkley’s recently deceased friend, George Peabody. The original hotel was torn down and a new larger Peabody was built at its present location at Union Avenue and Second Street, opening in 1925.
The role of Duckmaster originated at the Peabody Memphis almost 90 years ago. “The whole thing started as a practical joke,” Kenon says.
Back in 1933, Frank Schutt, general manager of the Peabody, and a friend, Chip Barwick, went on a weekend hunting trip in Arkansas. “They took another colleague along with them. His name was Jack Daniel,” Kenon says.
“They had a bit too much of that Jack Daniel’s sipping whiskey and thought it would be funny to sneak some of their live duck decoys into the lobby fountain. That’s back when you were allowed to have live duck decoys. So they put the ducks in the lobby fountain and went up to their room to sleep it off.”
When they came down the next morning, the two men were shocked. “They were surprised because the ducks were still there,” Kenon says. “And they were surprised to see a huge crowd watching the ducks.”
Thus began a Peabody tradition.
The first Peabody Duckmaster
In 1940, bellman Edward Pembroke, a former circus animal trainer, offered to help with delivering the ducks to the fountain each day and taught them the now-famous Peabody Duck March. Pembroke became The Peabody Duckmaster, serving in that capacity for 50 years until his retirement in 1991.
The five mallards are always four females and one male. More than one male might cause turf problems, Kenon says. An uneven number of females might make the lady mallards turn on the odd duck.
Every day, a multitude of visitors line up for both the morning and evening march. Kenon patiently recounts the tale, helps the “Honorary Duckmaster” chosen to assist Kenon unroll the red carpet and makes sure no guests are in between the fountain and the elevator when the ducks are ready to roll.
Clad in his scarlet-and-gold-trimmed jacket with his traditional brass-head duck cane, Kenon acknowledges that, “living in Memphis, the Peabody Hotel is a legendary place,” he said. “But I never dreamed I would one day be the Duckmaster.”
Becoming Peabody Duckmaster
So how did Kenon become the newest Duckmaster? An actor, Kenon had spent more than a dozen years as a tour guide and historian at the National Civil Rights Museum and Stax Academy of American Soul Music in Memphis. After becoming concierge at the Peabody, Kenon soon caught the attention of Duckmaster Doug Weatherford.
“That was February 23rd, 2019. I became the assistant Duckmaster. And in January 2020, Doug retired and now here I am,” Kenon says, bringing the ducks and the joy to all who come.
“We do get new ducks every three months because we release the previous ducks back into the wild,” Kenon says. “So the new duckies have to get used to me and their surroundings and, before long, they seem to like walking to the elevator in the morning and walking back at night.”
Although the ducks seem perfectly content to paddle around in the lobby fountain, sometimes unexpected incidents do happen. One time, one of the hens took a nap on the ledge of the fountain and fell off on the no-water side. The duck didn’t know what to do so she went running to the elevator. But the elevator wasn’t open so she ran past the gift shop, past the restaurant and then she saw a 30-foot Christmas tree in the lobby.
Sure enough, the wayward duck zoomed toward the tree where the Duckmaster retrieved her among the wrapped presents and escorted her back to the fountain where she happily joined her paddling buddies.
“In today’s world, I think we all need some happiness,” Kenon says. “It’s more than a job to me. It’s a true blessing to bring something positive to people’s lives. Who would have thought that watching ducks waddle to and from the fountain would make people so happy? But it does and it makes me happy, too.”
Photos by Logan Peters
* Traditional duck march.
Photo courtesy of Peabody Hotel
* Duckmaster Kenon Walker continues the Peabody tradition.
* Kenon’s coat cuff spotlights his Peabody job.
* Duckmaster’s distinctive cane.
* Peabody Hotel fountain fascinates duck watchers of all ages.
* Hotel room at the Peabody.
* Swimming pool at Peabody Hotel
Ed. Notes: See cruises here:
American Queen Voyages Cruises
8 Night – Memphis to St. Louis – American Queen (cruisecompete.com)
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