Stacy Brust was 4 years old when her mom took her to the Audubon Zoo and she saw flamingos for the very first time. Her love of the leggy bird continued throughout her school years, but her collection began after a certain incident her senior year in Mrs. Fagan’s class. Whenever her teacher would go to the classroom next door, the kids did the usual teenager thing and took the opportunity to talk and socialize. If the student guarding the door saw Mrs. Fagan coming, the code words “pink flamingo” brought the students immediately back to looking busy and working hard.
Later that year, when Stacy was having a very bad week, her friends bought every plastic flamingo yard decoration they could find and placed dozens and dozens of them in her front yard. This act of brazen kindness and fun was so memorable that Stacy kicked off a lifetime of collecting flamingos. As family and friends do, every special occasion saw the addition of more flamingos.
Stacy’s “Flamingo Love” came full circle when she became a teacher and her students threw a pink flamingo party in her honor.
Did you know??
Flamingo egg yolks are sometimes pink.
Flamingos are monogamous.
People used to eat flamingo tongue.
Flamingos can fly 10,000 – 15,000 feet.
Flamingos are pink because of their diet.
Both male and female flamingos keep their eggs warm before it hatches.
After enjoying the April exhibit at the Hattiesburg Pocket Museum, come to the Hattiesburg Zoo where you can see our flamboyance of flamingos.
