Club gives folks the birds

Think of it as a pretty-in-pink prank, with a twist of tacky.

For a $25 donation, the Hollywood Women’s Club Flocking Committee will deliver the iconic birds, along with a “You’ve Been Flocked” flier explaining how and why the flamingos ended up on your lawn.

There’s just one catch: The flockee must live in Hollywood or Dania Beach.

“Some people want it to be a mystery,” said Carol Fitzgerald, president of the Hollywood Women’s Club.

Most get a good laugh when they come out and find their yard covered in kitschy plastic ornaments, Fitzgerald said.

“The flockers have fun flocking and deflocking,” she said. “And the people who get them get a kick out of it. Makes you smile.”

To have the birds removed, the club requests a donation of $25. Some people pay $50 to have their friend’s yard flocked and deflocked. The money goes to the Women’s Club and the charities it supports.

The Women’s Club launched its pink flamingothemed holiday fundraiser

four years ago. Last year it raised $3,500.

The club kicked off this year’s event Thursday by delivering 150 pink flamingos to a three-block stretch of Hollywood Boulevard between Young Circle and Dixie Highway. The birds descended after a $400 donation from Hollywood’s redevelopment agency.

The birds were in place by 8 a.m. and gone by 8 p.m., said Trish McGee, chairwoman of the club’s Flocking Committee.

More typically, the flocking target is a homeowner, with the request coming from a friend or neighbor.

The folks setting up the flamingos must be early risers able to keep a straight face. No giggling allowed — it might wake up the prankee.

“We try to get out there by 6:30 a.m. because we like to surprise the person we’re flocking,” McGee said. “Some ladies will wait to see the look on the person’s face.”

Not everyone is pleased when they see their lawn has gone to the birds.

“We’ve had one or two issues where people come out and say, ‘We don’t want this in our yard’,” McGee said.

In that case, the birds are removed right away, she said.

To flock someone in Hollywood or Dania Beach, call the Flocking Hotline at 954-609-6625.

Flockings will continue through Dec. 23 and beyond, for special occasions.

“Some people do it every year,” Fitzgerald said. “We get special-occasion requests all year long.”

“We try to get out there by 6:30 a.m. because we like to surprise the person we’re flocking. Some ladies will wait to see the look on the person’s face.” Trish McGee, Hollywood Women’s Club Flocking Committee

TAIMY ALVAREZ/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Hollywood Women’s Club members and part of the flamingo flocking crew Trish McGee, left, and Cynthia Lorio-Butler among the 25 plastic pink flamingos the club uses.

CARLINE JEAN/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Crew members work on setting up the stage for the Riptide Music Festival, which takes place Saturday and Sunday on Fort Lauderdale Beach Park.