Duck Daze Is This Weekend In University Place

UNIVERSITY PLACE, WA — The city's annual Duck Daze celebration returns this weekend with a parade, local market vendors, live music, and activities for the whole family.

Duck Daze kicks off Saturday, June 1, beginning with the popular Duck Daze parade at 10 a.m. The parade will head south along Bridgeport Way West, from its intersection with 27th Street West, to 37th Street West before ending at West Pierce Fire & Rescue's station 31 — where fire personnel will provide bike helmet and life jacket fittings during the station's open house.

Additionally, West Pierce Fire & Rescue will reportedly host a watermelon-eating contest at the station during the event.

In Market Square, local vendors will sell their wares while local bands provide musical entertainment.

Also at the fire station, visitors will find a static display of UH-60M Blackhawk and AH64E Apache helicopters, provided by the 16th Combat Aviation Brigade (CAB) — a University Place Community Connector partner.

At the Civic Building, the city will host a special Community Gallery that shows whaat University Place looked like in 1995, offering community members to reflect on how far the city has come over the past 25 years as it looks forward to the next 25.

According to city officials, "The special gallery is part of the city’s Imagine 2045 campaign, which is designed to solicit public input on what the city should look like during its second 25 years."

To inform those plans, city officials invite community members to enroll in FlashVote to participate in brief, periodic surveys on key topics related to Imagine 2045 throughout the next year.

"In addition, the public is encouraged to share their thoughts with City Council members, City staff and commissioners," officials said. "They will be out and about during community events like Duck Daze and National Night Out to get input from residents, business owners and other community organizations."