Unless they buy insurance soon, Coupeville residents might soon find their yards invaded by pink, plastic flamingos.
Never fear, the iconic, three-foot-tall yard decorations are part of a colorful new fundraiser by the Coupeville Boys & Girls Club.
April Fools Day is the start of the five-day-long flocking season, when people can order a flocking for a Coupeville yard for $20. Highly trained flamingo wranglers, aka the club’s young members, will carefully place at least 10 birds — technically a flamboyance of flamingos — in a yard of a donator’s choice.
They will also leave behind a prominent sign that gloats, “you’ve been flocked,” along with a letter to the homeowner, which contains further instructions.
“They can call the flamingo hotline and request a deflocking,” Terri Driscoll, the club’s unit director, said.
“A friend of yours paid us to place these pink darlings in your yard,” the letter explains. “This flocking is done in good spirits. … These flamingos will roost on your lawn for 24 hours, when they will mysteriously migrate to another friend’s (victim’s) lawn.”
But for quicker removal, a donation of $10 to the club means a team of “expert flamingo wranglers” will be dispatched to remove the birds right away. The club’s van will transport the young squad members, wearing their uniform of hot pink shirts, from house to house.
There are only a few rules. Apartment complexes, public property and homes outside Coupeville can’t be flocked. Town businesses can be for a donation of $150. The club will accomodate any issues with the birds that arrise, so please don’t maim the birds, the club requests.
The club is trusting that people will only order flockings for people they know have a good sense of humor, Driscoll said. Though this fundraiser is new for the Coupeville club, other Boys & Girls clubs have sucessfully done flockings before, including in Oak Harbor.
“It was a fun idea we came across,” Driscoll said. “Fundraisers come in all shapes and sizes.”
The club is hoping to flock at least two houses a day and will use the funds raised to support its Healthy Habits Program. The flamingos were donated to them from the Kitsap club, she said.
To buy insurance to protect yourself from the flamboyance of flamingos, a mere $10 guarantees you will never have to face the beaked birds.
When asked if they were excited to flock people’s houses, fourth-grader Sylar Roberts and third-grader Dillin Kistner enthusiastically answered that they were.
If the community welcomes the pink birds, the club hopes to see the flamingo flock return as an annual event during the school’s spring break, Driscoll said.
To order a flocking or prevention insurance, contact the club and fill out an order form, along with payment. The club, located at 203 N. Main Street, can be reached at 360-678-5640. Orders should be requested by March 29.
The youth at the Coupeville Boys & Girls are excited for the opportunity to work as flamingo wranglers.
“You’ve been flocked,” reads the sign that will be placed in yards. Here, fourth-grader Sylar Roberts (left) and third-grader Dillin Kistner work on setting the pink birds up.
