Community

After it was stolen, Aflac will replace famous duck sign in Flanders

“Welcome to Flanders. Home of the Big Duck.”

That’s what the sign says when people are entering Flanders. 

That is, until somebody stole the sign. 

But now, the sign welcoming people to the hamlet home to the Big Duck is getting help from another company associated with a duck: Aflac.

Southampton Town Police said that sometime in the overnight hours between Feb. 9 and 10, someone stole the “Welcome to Flanders” sign on the corner of County Road 104 and Pleasure Drive.  

The Flanders, Riverside and Northampton Community Association paid for that sign — and three similar ones across the hamlet — and they say the signs cost about $7,000 a piece. 

Up stepped the other famous duck.

A representative from Aflac, Trevor Fennel, attended last week’s FRNCA meeting with some good news.

He announced that Alfac would pay for the cost of replacing the sign. 

Southampton Town Councilman Rick Martel, who the board’s liaison to the three hamlets, said Flanders and Aflac and “both have an affinity for ducks” referring to the Aflac duck advertisements. 

“The town does not purchase these signs, so it’s up to these organizations that do such a great job in our communities, with their beautification and their pride,” Mr. Martel said. 

Former FRNCA board president Brad Bender said there’s history of replacing Big Duck in Flanders 

“Some have aged out, one’s been painted three or four times. It’s still together. We had one that was taken out by a drunk driver and was happily replaced by Geico.”

Mr. Bender said he still thinks the sign is in Flanders somewhere.

“It’s probably in someone’s man cave,” he said. 

RHCA president Angela Hunealt thanked Mr. Fennel and Aflac.

“Aflac reached out to our board the same weekend that our welcome stolen,” Ms. Hunealt said. “I was overwhelmed. I’m still overwhelmed.