PHOTO BY DAVE DICELLO

For two weeks, residents of downtown Canonsburg have awakened to find thousands of rubber ducks mysteriously appearing on Pike Street overnight.

The culprit? Local Grandpa Joe’s Candy Shop owner Christopher J. Beers, who capped off his elaborate surprise Sunday by placing 10, 14-foot inflatable ducks on rooftops throughout the town.

“In the middle of the night, we ducked the entire town,” Beers says, explaining how his team placed 2,000 small ducks on Sept. 29, followed by 2,000 medium-sized ducks three days later, then 600 large ducks.

The grand finale came Sunday when the massive rooftop ducks appeared, revealing Grandpa Joe’s Candy Shop as the mastermind behind the stunt.

THE RUBBER DUCK ART INSTALLATION IN PITTSBURGH’S THREE RIVERS IN 2013. | PHOTO BY DAVE DICELLO

“We all remember the excitement when the big, giant rubber duck was down at the Point in Pittsburgh,” says Beers, referring to the 2013 art installation on the Three Rivers. “It’s Grandpa Joe’s…we always stay on top of trending and new and different, and I like to do things differently than anybody else.”

The response has been overwhelming. Pike Street, one of downtown’s main corridors, has seen “incredible foot traffic,” he says, and other downtown businesses have been texting Beers to thank him for the surge in customers.

“It’s really been a tremendous win for the town,” he says.

Beers, who founded Grandpa Joe’s in Pittsburgh’s Strip District in 2013 and now operates 19 locations across five states, has a track record of attention-grabbing stunts. In 2020, he placed a 10-foot monolith in front of his Strip District shop — replicating mysterious appearances that had occurred earlier in Utah and Romania. His monolith went viral internationally and he has promoted other silly products like Pickle Cotton Candy and Ketchup Soda.

For Beers, targeting Canonsburg holds special significance.

“This is where we’re raising our family. It’s home,” Beers says.

The ducks will remain on display through Sunday, giving visitors plenty of time to snap photos and support local businesses. As for what’s next?

“Expect the unexpected,” Beers said. “The bar has been raised. Wait until you see what I’ve got next.”