Get ready to quack, Southwest Florida. The “Duck Dynasty” clan is coming, and they’ve brought thousands of duck calls with them.
Willie and Korie, Jase and Missy, and — of course — that wacky Uncle Si are bringing their folksy Louisiana ways to Germain Arena Sunday. It’s part of a Salvation Army fundraiser named “The Call: Faith, Family and Facial Hair.”
The festivities include a duck-call demonstration and The Robertson Family’s first-ever attempt to set a Guinness World Record for the most people involved in a duck call.
The Germain Arena audience will get Duck Commander duck calls — the same brand the Robertsons make on their A&E reality show — and everyone will blow at the same time. A Guinness representative will attend the event.
“We have been talking about doing this for so long and never done it,” said cast member Korie Robertson. “So that’s pretty cool.
“It will definitely be interesting — and loud!”
Korie’s life has gotten interesting, too, in the last five years. The success of “Duck Dynasty” — which boasts 6 to 12 million viewers for each new episode — has led to book deals, movie appearances, a Christmas album, speaking engagements and runaway sales for their family owned, duck-call company, Duck Commander.
As for Korie, the show created unexpected opportunities like the boutique she and foster daughter, Rebecca, opened last year (Duck & Dressing) and the cameo she and husband, Willie, make in the new Christian movie “God’s Not Dead.”
The famously religious Robertsons are happy to talk about their Christianity. “Duck Dynasty” often shows the family praying around the dinner table.
“We’ve always been open to share our faith with whoever will listen,” Korie says. “And we’re open about who we are and what we believe.
“Now we just have a much bigger platform, and it’s a lot more noticed.”
POLL: Would you go to the “Duck Dynasty” event at Germain Arena?
Not everything about the show has been fun, though. Take last year, when patriarch Phil Robertson made controversial remarks about gays and blacks to a GQ magazine reporter. Phil was suspended from the show in December but reinstated weeks later.
Family members went on record saying Phil’s comments were taken out of context and he’s definitely not a hate-filled person. Korie seconds that.
Still, that didn’t make it easy to weather the media storm.
“I think it was one of those moments that really brought us together,” Korie said.
“Of course none of that part of it was fun. But at the same time, we knew we were OK before all that happened, and we knew we’d be OK after. It didn’t shake our faith or shake who we are.”
Now that the controversy has faded, the family is back to focusing on its company and the show.
Korie, 40, was taking a break from filming next season’s “Duck Dynasty” finale when she chatted with The News-Press this week. She wouldn’t reveal details, but promises it’ll be a good one. The show returns for its sixth season on June 11.
“I think people are going to enjoy it,” Korie says. “It’s more of the guys being the guys, and the girls trying to keep ’em straight. And all that good stuff.”
“Duck Dynasty” continues to be a popular show, and that includes TV watchers in Southwest Florida. More than 4,000 tickets have purchased for the Germain Arena event and more are expected by Sunday, said event publicist Holly Boldrin.
Until now, The Salvation Army’s local fundraisers have been small affairs that attract about 200 people, said Maj. Tom Louden, area commander for The Salvation Army of Lee, Hendry and Glades counties. So organizers decided to go big this time with The Robertson Family, plus live music by Christian rock group Switchfoot, country-music trio The Farm and Salvation Army ministry band transMission.
In between the entertainment, the audience will find out more about The Salvation Army’s many activities, including feeding and housing the hungry, youth camps, disaster relief, heart transplants, battling human trafficking and more.
It’s more than just thrift shops and red kettles at Christmas, Louden said. “That’s really just scratching the surface … We wanted to get the message to a wider audience.”
If You Go
• What: “The Call: Faith, Family and Facial Hair”
• When: 7 p.m. Sunday
• Where: Germain Arena, 11000 Everblades Parkway, Estero
• Tickets: $39-$140
• Info: 590-5004 or 2014TheCall.com