It just might be Parma's pink flamingo era.
State Rep. Sean Patrick Brennan, who helped install the city's script Parma statue during his time as city council president, wants to add to the display with a pink flamingo statue in an effort to embrace the pink flamingo reputation.
"The pink flamingo is Parma's unofficial bird and I think we should lean into it," Brennan wrote in an email to Cleveland Magazine. "I think the installation would add to the beauty of Anthony Zielinsky Park and attract even more visitors to Parma's business district."
The flamingo once served as a symbol of mockery toward Parma. Ghouliardi, a fictional character played by Ernie Anderson that was beloved by many outside of Parma, often lampooned the bedroom community as a stand-in for nondescript suburbs of Cleveland. The still-running joke, which was rooted in the city's Eastern European and working class heritage, sparked years of frustration among locals.
"[Parma is] literally at the bottom of the comedy totem pole," Parma native Joe Cronauer told Cleveland Magazine in 2007. "Everybody in the country makes fun of Cleveland, and everybody in Cleveland makes fun of Parma."
But after years of frustration, the city is now willing to embracing the image — with even the mayor agreeing to have the city lay the concrete for the display. Brennan was inspired by a visit to Madison, Wisconsin, to change the narrative around the flamingo.
"Madison has embraced the pink flamingo and you can find them all over the city," he says "I want to make Parma the flamingo capital of the United States."
The 150-pound effigy, built by California-based Metal Zoo, would cost $2,000, and Brennan hopes to have the money raised by Thanksgiving.
"One of my visions is to hold a breast cancer fundraiser where folks sponsor plastic pink flamingos," says Brennan. "In fact, I think we could beat the world record for placing the most plastic pink flamingos in one place at one time."
