Businesses rally for Jungle Golf owner fighting COVID-19
VIRGINIA BEACH — Signs across town will carry a message for one of the Virginia Beach resort area’s most beloved business owners.
Preston Midgett, 61, fondly known as the “head ape” at Jungle Golf, is battling the coronavirus at a local hospital.
B.J. Baumann, owner of Rockefeller’s Restaurant and the chairwoman of the Resort Advisory Commission, sent a letter to multiple business organizations asking them to “Feel the love for Preston” by displaying his name on signs outside their businesses.
“Get well Preston,” and other well-wishes will be featured on marquees from the Oceanfront to Town Center on Tuesday. Some businesses added his name over the weekend.
“This is just a way to show his family and him how much they mean to us,” Baumann said. “He’s just an incredible, well-thought of and loved member of our community.”
Midgett was put on a ventilator last week at a local hospital, according to his family members. They are not allowed to visit him at this time.
His college-aged daughter, Tara, asked for prayers for her father on Facebook on Friday.
“Dad- You are loved by so so many. I cannot wait to get you back home with us,” she wrote.
Midgett owns the iconic 18-hole miniature golf course that sits on a sand dune at the corner of 22nd Street and Pacific Avenue. His family built it 50 years ago.
Jungle Golf is known for its vibrant animal statues and lush vegetation, as well as being a fun and challenging Virginia Beach outing.
Midgett worked at the family business since he was 11 years old, doing just about every job from cutting grass to cleaning toilets to managing it.
He married his wife, Kim, on the sixth hole in 1992. When his son, Trey, was born in 1996, a mama mallard duck that frequented the Jungle Golf ponds had 12 baby ducklings.
During the summer of 2019, Midgett accomplished one of his dreams: To tackle the Great Loop on his 26-foot motorboat. He visited New York, Chicago and St. Louis in six weeks. His son joined him for part of the trip.
Midgett has been an active leader in the resort area, serving for years on a transportation and parking committee that is currently looking at parking discounts to draw more local residents to the resort area.
Word of his illness spread quickly on social media over the last several days, with dozens of people wishing him well. His family has taken notice of all the support.
“He’s fighting the big fight,” said his cousin, Al Midgett. “We all just hope that at the end of the day, he wins.”