Penticton Jeep owner gets ‘ducked’ in Kelowna as trend makes its way to the Okanagan

A Penticton resident was in Kelowna earlier this week when he found something on his Jeep he didn't expect.

"I went to reach for my door handle, and there was a little rubber duck stuck in there with a tag on it," Matthew Baran said. "It was a great thing to get on a Monday morning."

The tag said "Hey Jeeper! You've been ducked. 2020 Duck'n Sucks! We hope this duck brings a smile to your face!"

Duck Duck Jeep, or Ducking is a trend that began at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic with the aim of spreading positivity among Jeep owners.

"It was definitely a really cool thing to do," Baran said. "Honestly I think more people need to be doing things like this for each other right now."

He said he was ducked again the following day in the same area of Kelowna, in Lower Mission, and he decided to keep the good cheer going.

"I've ducked a few people already," he said. "If we can brighten somebody's day, we should be making that effort."

The "duckers" of Baran's Jeep were Kelowna residents Melanie Wiseman and her husband.

"I thought this is a great way to have some fun and meet other people," she said, after she'd stumbled across the trend online. "Because of COVID and because we're so withdrawn from people, I just thought it would be great to do it here."

She explained that the Jeep community is really close knit and often have get togethers and social groups online, so the trend stemmed from that community mentality.

The woman who originally started the trend is an essential services worker with dual citizenship who travels regularly from the U.S. to Ontario. 

"There was some sort of harassment because she had American plates," Wiseman said. "It was a really bad experience and that's what prompted her to do it."

She said the trend has spread all around the world, but it has really taken off in North America, especially in the U.S. 

"It's not huge here, it's just getting started in Kelowna," she said "There's some people doing it in Vernon as well."

After being ducked himself, Baran said he hopes the trend will take off locally, and not just among Jeep owners.

"I really makes Jeep owners stand out, but I would really encourage other groups or car enthusiasts, anybody to start," he said. "It's a great way of connecting and sending out positive energy for the week."

Anyone who finds a duck is encouraged to post a photo to social media with the hashtag #duckduckjeep or #duckingjeeps.

Many have shared stories along with their duck photos explaining how getting ducked brightened their day.

When New Jersey resident Jim Riley's Jeep got ducked, he had just finished 25 hours of work over two days.

"It was such a great feeling and put a huge smile on my face," he told iNFOnews.ca.

Indiana resident Julie Barnes has also joined in on the trend with her four-year-old granddaughter.  

"She loves to Duck Jeeps," she said. 

To join the original Duck Duck Jeep group on Facebook, click here. 

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