A colourful fundraiser has pink flamingos flocking to yards in Parksville.
The Parents Advisory Council (PAC) of Oceanside Elementary School recently sold flocking tickets with the winners earning the opportunity to secretly flock a yard with thirty pink flamingos.
The prank, which has been making lawns in District 69 festive, appears to have taken on a life of its own.
PAC spokesperson Colleen Jordan said the birds are becoming popular and the fundraiser has gained interest from the Resort Drive business community.
Owners Kristy Andersson and Darcy Stephenson of Ocean Sands Resort woke up to flamingos one morning and have since challenged other resorts to get involved.
They donated $500 to the cause and requested a secret flocking of Tigh-Na-Mara Seaside Resort.
Tigh-Na-Mara continued the fun and Oceanside Village Resort was the next on the list to be tickled pink.
Jordan said Tigh-Na-Mara donated a gift certificate for a one night stay with breakfast which they will use to generate money in a future raffle.
She said the flocking is done in good spirit and is not meant to be disruptive in any way and so far the recipients have enjoyed the surprise arrival of the birds.
In fact School District 69 superintendent Rollie Koop was the latest recipient to be pleasantly surprised.
He arrived home from work to find his yard filled with several plastic flamingos on June 24 and a note thanking him for his support.
She said Koop had made a donation to the fundraiser earlier but chose not to nominate anyone to be flocked so the bird squad decided his yard would be targeted.
"Everyone has been having a hoot with it. It makes people smile and it looks so cute on their lawn. It is really fun," she said of the fundraiser she initiated.
Jordan came up with the idea after searching on the internet for ways to do fundraising a bit differently and she agreed it is certainly creating a buzz and bringing attention to their project.
"After a flocking the neighbours will ask whose birthday is it. It gets people talking to each other. Different people have organized people to be nominated and they get to go out and be sneaky."
She said not all of their mischievous high jinks have gone off without a hitch.
"A couple of nights I went out I got caught. A dog was barking and another time we waited until the lights were out but we got busted. At one house after we got caught about five minutes later the sprinklers went off."
Money raised from the flocking fundraiser will go toward the first phase of an outdoor learning and play area for Oceanside Elementary School.