COLUMBUS — Flamingos are about to flock downtown once again, bringing fun and prizes with them for a fourth year.
Barbara Bigelow, executive director for Main Street Columbus, said Let’s Flamingle Downtown is returning from 5-8 p.m. Friday. The flamingo-themed event allows downtown visitors to hop between 19 participating businesses, finding plastic pink flamingos at each location for a chance to enter a drawing for a grand door prize, Bigelow said.
“It’s basically a flamingo scavenger hunt,” Bigelow said. “We just thought it would be fun. And it’s really caught on. Each year, we see more and more people (downtown), not only hunting for flamingos, but actually shopping at our local downtown stores.”
Citizens can start at any of the stores, including Ali Kat’s Boutique, A Southern Gathering, Bella Blue & Garret & Co., Best’s Academy of Martial Arts, Bubble the Day Spa, Cobalt’s Boutique, Coffee House on 5th, Columbus Arts Council, Downtown Nutrition, Fired Up Studio, Florals on 5th, Friendly City Books, Lavender Lemon Clothing Co., Little Magnolia Co., Mira Mira, Skin Deep Esthetics, Southern Lux, Sweet Magnolia & Three Sweet Stitches Boutique and the Southern Exchange. At their first stop, participants will receive a card with information on the event and all of the locations to find a flamingo, Bigelow said.
Once participants have gathered at least eight flamingos, they will turn them in at the Stone, between Lavender Lemon Boutique and Sweet Magnolia Boutique, Bigelow said.
After that, names will be entered into a drawing for the grand door prize – a 25 quart Wyld Gear Freedom Series Cooler, which is valued at almost $200, along with a $100 gift certificate to Zachary’s restaurant and “other cool goodies,” Bigelow said. All of the elements of the grand door prize were donated by Zachary’s, Benton’s Maintenance and Mechanical and Military Hardware, she said.
Shoppers will also receive an extra entry ticket for the drawing for every $25 spent at a participating store, Bigelow said.
While participants shop, Bigelow said, they can also expect music from musicians performing on the street. They may also spot Fiona the Flamingo, the event’s mascot, roaming the streets.
Midge Maloney will be volunteering to play Fiona the Flamingo for the third time this year. She said wearing the pink wig and flamingo costume feels “glamorous,” and she is looking forward to taking pictures with participants.
“It’s always so much fun,” Maloney said. “One of my favorite parts, really, is the kids. The kids get the biggest kick out of (Fiona). And they’ll run up to you and say, ‘oh, take my picture! Can I have my picture taken with you?’ And a lot of them wear pink.”
Maloney said she also enjoys getting to help participants figure out the game and have fun downtown. Bigelow also emphasized the fun of the evening, encouraging shoppers to dress up in their coolest summer outfits.
“(It’s) just a nice opportunity to get out and enjoy downtown Columbus, have some fun shopping, and even win some awesome prizes,” Bigelow said.
For more information, follow Main Street Columbus on Facebook.
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