Flocking flamingos fundraiser takes flight

Jun 3, 2011

Dozens of flamingos have been invading the front lawns of unsuspecting Wareham residents.

“I was shocked, it happened late at night we had no idea what was going on,”said Carver Road resident Yvonne Stone.

Turns out, she was flocked. And you could be next.

Cub Scout Pack 93 began placing 63 plastic birds in lawns around town in an effort to send the 16 members of the Pack to Camp Cachalot Cub Scout Day Camp for a week in August.

"We wanted it to be a fun fundraiser," Cubmaster Sharon Boyer said.“We want people to be surprised. They’re a little shocked at first, but then they realize it’s for a good cause."

The flamingos are placed late at night so that the unsuspecting neighbor wakes up to a flock of pink plastic birds in the morning. The birds are left there for two or three days and picked up in the evening. A note is left, explaining what the flocking is for.

Stone was the first "victim" and said after the initial shock she is loving her new decorations.

"I'm telling people to come by my front lawn, that there are all these flamingos there," said Stone. "I tell them I got flocked!"

She said the most memorable part of the flocking has been the neighbors' reaction.

“It’s been all fun, the people’s reaction. People come speeding down the road and stop short in front of my house,” Stone said.

Stone said she doesn't know who is responsible for the flocking.

The flamingo migration will run throughout the summer and their flight pattern is determined by the community. Who’s next is anyone’s guess. Boyer said she is keeping the list of soon-to-be-flocked homes under wraps.

Want to flock your friends? Email Cub Scout Pack 93 at pack93@live.com or call Boyer at 508 291-0187 or Recruit Den Leader Jessica Jack at 774 678-0357 for more information.

This is the first year the Pack is doing this fundraiser. But, Boyer said she is hoping to make it an annual event. If the effort is successful, this would be the first year any of the scouts will go to camp. The goal is to be able to send every boy. The cost for each scout is $155 to go to the weeklong day camp.

The cost is $15 per flock. The birds are planted and removed by the Cub Scouts. Anti-flocking insurance is also available if you do not wish the flamingos to migrate to your home. A $10 donation can be made to Pack 93 to keep your name off the flocking list and the flamingos far from your front yard.