SUNY ESF
Rubber Loons
Release the Loons! The only race of its kind, our custom designed and made in America loons tumble into Rich Lake outlet and race 400 yards to the finish line. Prizes donated from local businesses will be awarded to the first four loon s across the line.
2018 Prize Packages
1st Place — $75.00
2nd Place — $50.00
3rd Place — Rubber Loon and ESF bandanna
Sponsoring a Loon in the Race
Sponsor a loon and you can be a winner! As you watch the front runners swim through the finish line, have your fingers crossed that it's your sponsored loon. Sponsors of the top loon finishers win one of the prize packages listed on the right. Prizes are generously donated by local businesses.
You can also purchase your very own loon! By doing so you are not only bringing home a piece of the Adirondacks, but you are also supporting the one-of-a-kind programming offered here at the AIC!
All funds raised through the sponsoring and purchasing of our rubber loons directly support the unique, exciting and place-based public programming we offer at the AIC.
Birth of a Loon
Overview/Idea
In February of 2011 we were exploring creative ways to generate excitement and support for the AIC programming. Our goal was to create an event that would highlight the fantastic resource the AIC represents in the region and the high-quality and diverse informal science education offered here.
The idea of a rubber duck race was proposed, the Rich Lake outlet being a natural race course with the two bridges forming a perfect start and finish line. All we needed now was racers.
Rubber ducks were intuitive, but common; we needed something that proudly said “ESF” and “Adirondacks.”
In keeping with Rich Lake’s history as a log-staging lake throughout the first half of 20th century Adirondack logging, racing mini-logs with the ESF mark seemed like a good fit, but, well, just not quite “it.”
We continued to brainstorm.
As we circled back to the point of origin, rubber ducks, we had our Eureka moment - rubber loons! What could be more perfect? Loons are a powerful and beloved symbol of the Adirondacks, and also a subject of ongoing ESF study and research. Loons are a species provoking wonder and fascination, never failing to catch the imagination and interest of adults and children, researchers and recreationists, and viewers of all sorts - whether with a paddle, pencil, or a camera.
Challenge
We set off on the internet to find our loons. We were amazed that no matter how creative our search, rubber loons did not seem to exist. Could that be possible? Could so popular an animal, one whose image was emblazoned at one time or other on just about every tchotchke and Adirondack knick-knack imaginable, not have been immortalized yet as a common bathroom toy?
Research
As good students of science, we continued our research and developed new lines of inquiry, searching for Gavia rubbercus anywhere in the nooks and crannies of the internet. All to no avail. So we shifted gears, seeking a company who made custom rubber ducks - bingo! That search almost immediately introduced us to CelebriDucks, a company whose joyfully creative approach and serious commitment to rubber ducks was immediately evident.
Craig/CelebriDucks
That serious commitment to creating high-quality playful products carries over to owner Craig Wolfe’s commitment to bringing rubber duck production and jobs back to the USA (where they were invented) after a generation overseas. We are very excited to support Craig’s vision, working with CelebriDucks to create and produce our loon, the first and only completely made it the USA, from design to molding, production to painting. Our loons are the first custom job and only the second product run of once again Made in the USA rubber birds. You can learn more about the migration of production back to the USA here and follow Craig’s progress on CelebriDucks’ entraining and informative blog.
Chris
The opportunity to design the loon was awarded to sculptor Christopher Martin, an artist living in Ohio, coincidentally where the rubber duck was invented. All you have to know to get a sense of Chris is that his website and email are “I Play with Clay.” Pretty functional and pretty fun, just like the loon he designed for us. You can get an even better sense of him and his work at www.iplaywithclay.com
Loons
The finished product is not only the first rubber loon in the world, but one working to support ESF’s educational outreach in the Adirondacks, a role we look forward to them playing (literally and figuratively) for many years to come.