Quirky celebrations define pride of small town life

Each summer, the people of Fiji celebrate their favorite tropical plant with the annual Hibiscus Festival. Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash.

In Deming, New Mexico, a small town surrounded by a large open desert on one side and an interstate on the other, there is a tradition that most people might think is a little hard to believe. It happens each year in late summer, and it’s called the Great American Duck Race.

If you are there to see it with your own eyes, you would agree that it is great, uniquely American, and well, something to quack about. Like any other traditional festivals, the Duck Race has food vendors, family games, and a parade. The highlight is watching ducks racing down lanes of water, flapping and splashing, and trying to make it to the finish line first.

There are other events that for generations feel like can’t miss great American traditions. In Hatch, New Mexico, an even smaller town in an even more isolated location, a Chile Queen is crowned each year and paraded across the village sized streets. She waves to parade watchers and is proud to be known as the most royal representative to a town billed as the Chile Capital of the World.

For over 30 years, the 6,000 residents of Alma, Arkansas celebrate spinach. No worries if the leafy green stuff isn’t your favorite food item. The daylong event often includes a pancake breakfast and even spaghetti dinner. Braver festival attendees participate in the Spinach Eating Contest…