Frank the Flamingo Is Everything in This California Town Right Now
For one California neighborhood, Frank the Flamingo is everything this holiday season.
No, Frank is not a real flamingo. But he is very real in the hearts of the many in Plumas Lake, a neighborhood of a little more than 8,000 and located about 30 miles north of Sacramento in Yuba County.
Frank is an inflatable pink flamingo, and he has become a treasured object in Plumas Lake.
We have written about some wacky flamingo-related hijinks on this blog before, but never have we come across something like this. Frank the Flamingo is the centerpiece if a game that the local residents are actively playing. Whomever is in possession of Frank is required to keep him inflated and visible at the front of their property, readily available for theft. Once someone finds Frank, they are encouraged to steal him, bring him to their home, and put him on display for the next thief.
The rules are simple: Frank must be put in plain sight, and he must be plugged in and allowed to reach his full inflated potential while in your possession. The game’s winner is whomever has Frank in their clutches come New Year’s Day, and to the winner goes the spoils of a prize and bragging rights over all of Plumas Lake.
The idea came from Amanda Cowman, a Plumas Lake resident. She acquired the inflatable eventually titled Frank, set him up on her property, and put out the word that the game was on.
“I knew as soon as I saw it that our town would be perfect for it, we have a great town for it,” Cowman told CBS Sacramento on Dec. 20. “I got Frank the Flamingo, I put him on our porch, and I blasted it to our local Facebook group.”
Plumas Lake is eating it up. Frank has changed hands numerous times in the handful of days that he’s been up for grabs, and the game has become the talk of the town.
"The response has been incredible,” Cowman said to CBS Sacramento. “People are so excited about him. He doesn't even last at a house for more than five minutes most of the time. It's become people's evening entertainment.”
The game has evolved beyond what Cowman initially intended. Players are dressing Frank up in various get-ups, posting riddles to social media, and embracing the festive spirit as a community.
Kids, adults, even police have gotten in on the act. It seems that the game surrounding Frank the Flamingo is bringing all sides of Plumas Lake together and making this holiday season that much more special. This is the first year of Frank, and we’re still days away from a winner, but what Cowman kicked off already feels like something that could be around for years to come.
“I think it’s probably going to be a yearly thing now,” Christina Boyes, a Plumas Lake resident and player of the game, said to CBS Sacramento. “It’s been so popular that I think he’ll be back next year for sure.”
