Giant rubber duck appears by Lumen Field for Seattle Boat Show

Interstate 5 commuters may be asking themselves a question this week as they look in the direction of Lumen Field: “What the duck?”

A giant rubber duck — about six stories tall, according to its website — is looming on the roof edge of the Sodo neighborhood parking garage. The inflated duck was installed there Tuesday to promote the nine-day Seattle Boat Show, which starts Friday at Lumen Field’s event center and Bell Harbor Marina.

George Harris, president of the Northwest Marine Trade Association, which produces the show, said he hoped “Mama Duck” would have people flocking to the event.

“We like to do fun things,” Harris said Thursday. “Rubber ducks are considered kind of an international symbol of fun and positivity, and that’s what we think the Seattle Boat Show is all about.”

Lightweight tethers and blocks are keeping the duck in place on the rooftop, where it can withstand up to 16 mph winds. A professional “duck handler” is in Seattle to monitor the weather forecast and ensure the duck stays safely tied to the roof, Harris said.

Organizers may have to temporarily deflate the bird on Friday due to a forecast of strong winds, but they are optimistic about reinflating it by Saturday.

“We’re kind of lucky ducks this week because the wind forecast has been just absolutely perfect,” Harris said.

About 35,000 people and 700 aquatic vessels are expected at the show. This year isn’t the first time organizers have used a larger-than-life display. Previous shows have included the world’s largest boat made out of Legos, the world’s largest indoor sand sculpture and a display of 35,000 dominoes, Harris said.

This year, there will be a boat filled with 2,000 rubber ducks inside Lumen Field to raise money for Salmon for Soldiers, a nonprofit that teaches veterans and people in the military how to fish for salmon and “relax and enjoy the water,” Harris said.

Two days into the installation of the giant duck, the response has already been “tremendous,” he said. One group of people appeared on the rooftop Thursday to check out the giant creature after spotting it from the highway.

“It’s seemed like a really great, eye-catching symbol,” Harris said.