Driving along Route 2 one day, I noticed this sign. I had driven by it many times before, but for some reason on this day I couldn’t shake my curiosity and honed in on its details.
Why the flamingo? And what’s so legendary about Leominster?
After roaming the streets of downtown Leominster, I saw these dotting the corners and sidewalks and noticed a recurring theme.
“Ok I have to know what’s up with the flamingo,” I thought and began to research.
I started with the obvious: Are there flamingos running about Leominster in abundance?
Well, no.
Flamingos appear to hang around mostly in the Caribbean and South America, with some sub-species found in Europe and Asia. The closest flamingos get to the United States is Florida. Besides, Leominster is more of a suggest environment made up mostly of hills, not suitable for these tropical birds.
Next I thought: Are Leominster’s city colors pink and white, and it was decided that the flamingo is the official mascot of Leominster? Like how black and yellow is closely associated with the City of Pittsburgh?
Nope.
All of the schools of Leominster utilize white and blue in their color schemes and the mascots include the Blue Devils, Hawks, and Wildcats.
So why the flamingo?
It all started at Union Products in Leominster in the 1950s. A company that specialized in producing plastic lawn ornaments, they turned to a recent college graduate to design a plastic duck. Wanting to get it just right, Donald Featherstone was able to bring one home to sketch so that he could get it as accurate as possible.
The higher-ups at Union Products were pleased with his duck, but their next task proved more difficult- he was asked to make a flamingo. As I mentioned, there weren’t any flamingos running around Leominster for him to bring home, so he based his design off a National Geographic feature: One bird standing upright, the other bent over snacking.
The rest is history.
The pink flamingos flew off the shelves, simultaneously becoming a symbol of suburbanite kitsch and American counterculture- they were so tacky that they were cool. There were seen as a direct response to the marble sculptures that dotted the wealthy suburban lawns by those looking to add “tropical elegance” as Featherstone described them.
They quickly took on a life of their own, becoming a pop culture icon. They were a statement against societal norms and structure, and even became part of a yearly senior prank in Madison, Wisconsin. They became an integral part of movies such as John Waters’ Pink Flamingos, and 2011’s Gnomeo and Juliet which features a pink flamingo character named Featherstone, after its creator and most influential designer.
This is all to say that, while Mr. Featherstone would go on to design and create countless other lawn ornaments, none stood out so much in public life quite like the flamingos. Sure, the swan that Don designed outsold the pink flamingos, but there isn’t a swan on the sign welcoming you to Leominster.
Today, Leominster celebrates its claim to fame with Pink Flamingo Day, where a ceremony is held at the town square and everyone attempts to out-flamingo each other. Local vendors will come with a flamingo-themed twist on their products such as pink lemonade and flamingo glitter. Clubs will host flamingo painting and craft stations. A flamingo themed scavenger hunt is held throughout the city, and a pink flamingo trophy is award to the individual with the best flamingo attire.
An icon that has since outlasted its creator and original manufacturer, the pink flamingo lives on in quirky festivals and movies and is perhaps more recognizable than the real-life version. In fact, thanks to the prank that has continued for over 40 years, the City of Madison, Wisconsin’s official bird is the plastic pink flamingo.
Even the most ardent pink flamingo hater would have to agree that its status in our lives as an iconic symbol of ironic art and class is nothing short of, dare I say, legendary.
Now when I drive to Leominster and look at the alliterative welcome sign, I’m reminded that heroes get remembered, but legends never die.