by Lin McNulty
A whole fence full of flamingos greeted Lower Tavern employees as they arrived for work on Wednesday morning. Photo: Ken Hansen
Employees arriving to work at The Lower Tavern on Wednesday morning were greeted by a flock of flamingos. While not technically a flock, a group of flamingos is collectively known as many collective nouns, including a “colony,” “flamboyance,” “flurry,” “regiment,” or “stand” of flamingos. No matter what they are called, there were a bunch of them trying to get in (or out of) the Lower Beach that gets installed every summer.
Taped to the door of the tavern was a note (somewhat like a reverse-ransom note) advising them they had been “flocked.” The suspect(s): Island Hoppin’ Brewery.
The flamingo flocking caper is a clever fundraising idea from the local Kiwanis. Once flocked, the “victim” has three choices on what to do about it. If they decide to do nothing, the flock will stay in place for 72 hours before moving. For a $25 Early Removal Fee, the flock will be moved. And, for a $50 donation, you can pick the next business or person to be visited by the pink birds.
This possible never-ending caper has somewhat of an exit strategy, however. For $10 you may ensure you will not be flocked again—for a whole month.
What was the reaction at The Lower? Owner Jim Passer says, “I think they are cute,” while his wife Teri Nigretto indicates she is a “flamingo fan, so was pretty excited.”
Yet to be determined is exactly what he will do, although Passer seems to be want them to hang around for the next 72 hours before moving on. “I think they add a lot of color to the beach,” he adds.
There is no reason, at this point, to assume that the arrival of the flamingos precipitated our current sprinkle of rain.
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