Duck and goose consider themselves tour guides at living history village

Shakopee Valley News

Two guests have attended nearly every living history tour at The Landing this year. They're not history buffs, nor just looking for some fun at the park with a living history village, where tours and re-enactors show what life was like in the 19th century.

They're a duck and a goose named Laurel and Hardy.

Laurel and Hardy came to The Landing earlier this year with five other ducks and five other geese to be part of the working farm The Landing runs, where every animal is a heritage animal that would have been common in the 19th century.

Through a series of unfortunate events, possibly involving a coyote that can remove bolts from doors, Laurel and Hardy are the only goose and duck left.

Both ducks and geese are extremely social animals, so they found a new gaggle in the tourists and tour guides at The Landing. Laurel and Hardy faithfully guide the groups, quacking and honking more than usual if stragglers fall behind.

Tour guides have a difficult time keeping them from following them into historic buildings on the property, where the birds threaten to "do their business" all over the floor.

At least until fall, it looks like Laurel and Hardy will continue guiding tours at The Landing.