MOUNT FOREST – Some unsuspecting lawns in Mount Forest are getting the attention of exotic birds – a flock of plastic flamingos.
It’s part of the “you’ve been flocked” campaign by the Mount Forest aquatics committee’s to help fundraise towards a new pool in town after the Lion Roy Grant Pool closed due to being unsuitable to open this past season and is considered beyond its usable life.
Through the campaign, people can donate a minimum of $100 and volunteers will place a bunch of plastic flamingos on someone’s yard with a sign tell them they’ve been flocked. People can also buy insurance against being a target for this.
Committee member Jessica McFarlane said the group has been trying to come up with unique ideas to fundraise but couldn’t recall exactly where she found this one.
“Just online somewhere, I saw somebody in the US had done it,” McFarlane said. “It sounded like a cool idea.”
McFarlane said she finds it to be a fun and harmless prank that catches people off guard.
“People don’t know what’s coming … people literally look out their front window when they look up in the morning and they’re there,” McFarlane said.
She said local children have been getting a kick out of it, noting at the time of the interview her neighbour across the street had been hit by the flamingos.
“My son thought it was the coolest thing when he woke up and saw it and the school bus picks up at the end of my driveway,” McFarlane said.
“I could see all the kids, they were all staring and excited to see what was going on. That’s the whole point of it, right? Just to have some fun.”
While the township is responsible for figuring out how to pay for the pool itself — so far there have only been estimates that have put the cost as high as $7 million — the committee is looking to fundraise about $5,000 over a few weeks to go towards extras for the new outdoor pool.
“We are fundraising for all the extra things like picnic tables, umbrellas or special features like a bubbler or rock climbing wall, things like that,” McFarlane said.
McFarlane said the committee has known, even prior to this past summer, that a new pool was inevitable but now the pressure has been turned up a bit with no public pool in town.
“Once the pool got shut down, we’ve been trying to push even more,” McFarlane said. “Every little bit helps, right?”
Mount Forest residents interested in participating can email [email protected] until Oct. 2.
