Giant Rubber Ducks to Appear Across Northeast Ohio for Student-Led Festival

CUYAHOGA FALLS, Ohio — Residents across Northeast Ohio should keep an eye on the horizon starting March 19 as a fleet of 12-foot-tall rubber ducks begins its trek through local neighborhoods. Known as the Giant Quackers, these oversized inflatables serve as the opening act for the Ohio Rubber Duck Dash Festival, a multiday event scheduled to take over downtown Cuyahoga Falls from April 23 through April 25. The traveling flock includes four specific ducks: Peep, Sunny, Splasher and Scooter. According to event organizers, these giants will visit Tallmadge, Peninsula, Munroe Falls, Hudson and Stow, with additional stops at three Swensons Drive-In locations designated as Duck Ponds. The tour is designed to build momentum for the main festival weekend, which features a six-story version of the World's Largest Rubber Duck parked on Front Street. While the spectacle is designed for public enjoyment, it is the result of a rigorous academic curriculum. Students in the Six District EntrepreNew program, hosted by Woodridge Local Schools, are the primary operators behind the festival. They handle everything from corporate sponsorships to logistics and marketing as part of a fully functioning business model. Emily Kilgore, an entrepreneurship teacher for the program, said the students are responsible for every moving part of the operation. This is not just a race; it is a business built by students who are managing real-world sponsorships and regional logistics. The festival coincides with the Cuyahoga Falls City School District All-City Art Walk. This collaboration turns the downtown corridor into a public gallery where student murals and installations line the sidewalks. Jennifer Shulman, an art teacher at Cuyahoga Falls High School, noted that placing student work alongside a massive public installation like the World's Largest Rubber Duck validates their creativity in a very public way. One participating art student mentioned that seeing their work on display builds a level of confidence that makes a future career in the arts feel like a tangible possibility. The weekend schedule begins Thursday, April 23, with the installation of the six-story duck starting at 9 a.m. and the Art Walk following in the evening. Friday and Saturday feature a vendor and food truck fair along the pedestrian-friendly Front Street, which has become a focal point for the city's recent redevelopment efforts. A wing-eating contest is set for Friday night, leading up to the main event on Saturday afternoon. The signature Rubber Duck Dash takes place Saturday, April 25, at 1:30 p.m. on a custom 50-foot inflatable track. More than 10,000 rubber ducks are expected to compete in timed heats. Finalists will move on to a championship round where significant prizes are on the line, including $1,000 in cash, Cedar Point gift cards, and tickets for the Cleveland Cavaliers and Cleveland Guardians. Other prizes include a year of Swensons Drive-In and a Backyard Bundle from Step2, a company with deep roots in the Akron-area manufacturing corridor. Corporate support for the student-led initiative comes from several regional mainstays, including Acme Fresh Market, the Akron RubberDucks and United Way of Summit & Medina. Those interested in participating can adopt a duck through the official event website at ohiorubberduckdash.com. -------------------- At Cleveland 13 News, we strive to provide accurate, up-to-date, and reliable reporting. If you spot an error, omission, or have information that may need updating, please email us at tips@cleveland13news.com. As a community-driven news network, we appreciate the help of our readers in ensuring the integrity of our reporting.