By Ruth Ann Ruiz
The Post Newspaper Features Editor
Hattie Unkefer enjoyed pre-parade excitement along Post Office Street as she sat atop her father’s shoulders clutching her mini beach ball. Her parents reported that she loves parades and was excited about coming to see the pink flamingo parade.
Galveston hosted its fifth annual pink flamingo parade Saturday in the Post Office District.
Pink flamingo parades and festivals are popping up in many locations, mostly in the Gulf Coast region, but there are reports of pink flamingo celebrations in the Plains states and the Midwest. The popularity of pink flamingos is also spreading out to the West Coast, and East Coast towns are hosting colorful pink flamingo parades.
These exotic, rare creatures that are well known for standing on one leg, seem to inspire the flamboyant, jubilant celebrations of people who just want to have fun.
The plastic pink flamingo became a beloved American lawn ornament in the late 1950s. The original piece was created by sculpture artist Don Featherstone of Massachusetts. Living flamingos tend to prefer tropical areas however, there was a sitting of live flamingos hanging out on the shores of Lake Michigan just last September.
Galveston’s parade has grown in popularity since its first year. There were more decorated gulf carts and more merry spirits out on a warm Texas Coastal day in this year’s parade than there were in its first year.
Spectators and participants reported they were looking for cheer, and some reported they were looking for beer.
Members of the region’s famous Tutu Live Krewe were outfitted in pink and added their talents to the parade. Dogs displayed friendly smiles as they rode along with their humans in golf carts, and the parade was led by the music of a pipe organ perched in a trailer towed by a car painted in brilliant shades of blue.
If you missed the parade as it passed by the first time, you could catch it coming back down the street for a second time with the same level of enthusiasm, bead throwing and smiles from all the entrants.
This year’s parade in Galveston was moved into May to beat the heat of June. But some regions will still hold their parade in June.
June 23 has been declared National Pink Flamingo Day by some folks who love pink flamingos.
As someone who has attended Galveston’s Pink Flamingo parade for several years, I can’t really say the day felt any less hot than a day in June might. I can, however, say that the parade felt fun and was a lively, lighthearted experience.
If this year’s parade was a demonstration of the parades’ potential to keep growing, then we can possibly anticipate next year will include more entrants who just seem to want to enjoy a good Saturday afternoon of happiness, of seeing and/or wearing pink and of finding beer.
Pink flamingo celebrations do not seem to have any political or religious history behind them, and the original plastic lawn ornament was mostly popular in working class neighborhoods.
The fun playful history behind our nation’s relationship with pink flamingos leads me to consider that maybe, just maybe, the pink flamingo will become an American symbol for merriment, regardless of which day of the year it is celebrated.
