Volunteers recently finished bending the metal frames for an additional 60 monkeys to add to the neighborhood’s new holiday lights display. The monkeys were created last year as a tie-in with Woodland Park Zoo’s WildLights, and because they were completely different from the usual holiday light displays.
Red Mill Burgers and Starbucks had lighted monkeys all over the building.
Businesses and community members sponsored monkeys for $25 each, with the money being used to pay for the troop’s expansion. Monkeys hung from awnings, trees and in business windows throughout the neighborhood. Future “fostering” fees will be used to maintain the monkeys and support other PNA Business Membership Group projects.
Volunteers have now bent a total of 210 monkeys, but five were stolen in December, so the troop now stands at 205 for next year’s display.
Here’s a video of the last of the new monkeys being created at Close Enough Engineering in South Lake Union.
(That’s Steve Walker, the monkey designer and owner of Close Enough Engineering, doing the welding, and volunteers Jim Spoor holding the tail, George Allen rotating the table, Phil Manget dropping the pins, and Mike Veitenhans bending the frames.)
Volunteers will be needed soon to add the light strips to the frames. If you can help, please email Ann Bowden at [email protected].
Businesses can reserve their 2015 monkey now online. Community members also will be able to sponsor a monkey at a later date.
