John Griffin 

Neither fire nor pestilence have deterred the Brome Lake Duck Farm from its appointed task of supplying meat and related food products to the general public. A blaze in its Knowlton retail store and offices in 2016 forced the company to rebuild better, with an airy two-storey space facing Lions Park in Knowlton. Then the Avian Flu decimated commercial North American chicken and duck populations. Our sheltered corner of the continent was not spared. The Duck Farm has shaken off both potential catastrophes, smoothed its ruffled feathers, and, barely missing a beat or shuttered store, has waddled on with the odd webbed grace peculiar to the beast it raises. Today, Brome Lake Ducks continues to market at the wholesale level, and from its storefront. Hours may have been clipped – the store is generally open from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday, but the quality and abundance remains unchanged. And a local tradition continues.