GRAND HAVEN — Grand Haven’s Jason Rogers has been “evaded” times. And he loves it.
That’s he has a Jeep.
Rogers has owned a Jeep. He has never liked fast cars or fancy accessories. He never looked for anything more than a Jeep, the iconic Wrangler, in particular. He buys them without frills, disassembles them and plays with them to create his own exclusive models. . So far, it has done so with 14 Wranglers.
“They will bury me in a jeep,” he said.
But he wasn’t aware of the connection between the Jeep and rubber ducklings until he discovered one in the wing of his Wrangler as he ran toward Muskegon. He thought that a little boy had passed by and left him. Then Rogers saw rubber ducklings on Facebook pages committed to Jeeps.
It’s all a component of a message movement known as “crouching. “
Rogers still has that first duck, he’s yellow, with a smiling face, and now he knows it’s a planned move through someone renting his Jeep and wishing him a good day.
He collected 50 to 100 more ducks, all different, and they all left through strangers. He found that most of them were sitting in his parked Wrangler. Window open while driving along the beach.
“I keep them because it reminds me of that moment when I discovered them,” he said.
The memory is not unusual among those who have been “dodged”. Especially that first duck.
Kevin Kane’s first duck made the impression at his Wrangler at Grand Haven State Park. Eric Leaf in his Gladiator at Turk’s Tavern in Nunica. Karen Benson in her Renegade in the parking lot of Franklin Avenue and First Street in Grand Haven.
Rogers says he takes them in his Jeep to go to others. He buys them on Amazon.
And, apparently, no one steals the ducks left in the jeeps. They are just in the vehicle, waiting for the owner to locate them. Rogers says it’s an unwritten rule.
“It’s smart that way, for other people to respect that, especially the Jeep,” he said. “You would never walk past a Jeep with a duck and take it. You would be banned forever. You deserve to get your keys back and drive a Ford for the rest of your life.
The regulations are very precise. The most adamant fans say that the game is reserved for Wranglers and Gladiators, that only Jeep owners leave ducks and that ducks have changed from one Jeep to another.
Most other people circumvent those regulations to come with any Jeep vehicles and ducks left by anyone. In addition, many recipients decide to keep their gifted ducks, but buy ducks to give to others.
What kind of jeeps does Rogers dodge?
“If I see one talking to me,” he said. I think it brightens the day for 99. 9% of those who are dodged. “
According to Internet reports, the “dodge” began with Allison Parliament, a Canadian who now lives in Alabama. He went to Canada to stop in his circle of relatives and when he returned, he left his most productive friend in Ontario. To begin and brighten his days, she hid small rubber ducklings in space for him to locate after he left.
Parliament still had a duck and, prompted by the momentum of the moment, placed it in a Jeep Wrangler parked near the house. She had written a brief message praising the Jeep. This owner glanced at him, and then took a picture of the duck. And he posted it online, and the concept went viral.
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There are now several social media sites committed to “dodging. “This “Duck Duck Jeep – Michigan” on Facebook, with more than 7,000 followers.
Parliament turned the dodge motion into a fundraiser for teachers to buy school supplies. The timing of the annual Duck Duck Jeep invasion takes hold this weekend in Alabama.
Meanwhile, in Grand Haven, Rogers partnered with the local Rotary club to create a Jeep festival. The first took place in May, with proceeds of more than $15,000 donated to Kenzie’s Be Café, a nonprofit in the former Crescent Theatre. The Moment festival is planned for May 2023.
The world’s giant Jeep duck made the impression at the Detroit Auto Show last month. The duck, 61 feet, is so large it might not enter the building.