Complete with goggles, scarf and mask, the dashing HokieBird at the Virginia Tech Montgomery Executive Airport is ready to head into the wild blue yonder to do battle against the coronavirus.
A grassroots group of self-described “guerilla” mask makers is adorning the more than 100 HokieBird statues across the New River Valley to promote the “Be Committed. Be Well” campaign.
In July, the NRV Mask Makers Facebook group, which had already sewn and donated more than 16,000 masks for local first responders and health care front line staff, was asked to make a mask for the “Dr. Hokie” statue at the Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM). They went on to sew 60 more tie-dyed, HokieBird-sized masks and began to place them on statues in the area after contacting the owners of the statues and securing permission.
The NRV Public Health Task Force subsequently distributed the distinctive teal “Be Committed. Be Well.” masks to residents in August, and the Town of Blacksburg placed custom-sized versions of the branded masks on the “Father and Son” statues at the town’s municipal building on Main Street.
Mask Makers Richard Hammer with 1901 Group, a Blacksburg tech company, and Tiffany Carpenetti with the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine contacted the task force and together the groups crafted a plan to add masks to those statues without them, and to re-brand those masks already in use.
“This is an incredible, unique volunteer effort to engage our community in the ‘Be Committed. Be Well.’ public health campaign,” said Noelle Bissell, director of the New River Health District. “Masks and cloth face coverings are proving to be an easy and effective way to keep everyone safe as we continue to navigate life with COVID-19. This simple act makes a difference and is a wonderful way to come together to control the spread of infection.”
“The HokieBirds are iconic symbols,” said Hammer. “We asked ourselves, how hard could it be to make a XXXL mask for a HokieBird? These projects complement each other naturally, and there is no better way to tap into the Hokie community and encourage responsible behavior for the well-being of all our residents.”
In addition to the HokieBirds, “Be Committed. Be Well.” masks also have been placed on other well-known and highly visible sculptures, including the Frank Beamer statue at Lane Stadium, the Addison Caldwell statue on Virginia Tech’s Upper Quad, Radford University’s Highlander and Mary Draper Ingles in Radford’s Cultural Heritage Park. Additional masks will be added to the giant HokieBird in the lobby of Cassell Coliseum, the metal HokieBird at Mellow Mushroom in Blacksburg and the Red Robin and Statue of Liberty at Red Robin Gourmet Burgers and Brews in Christiansburg.
The HokieBirds debuted in 2006 as the Blacksburg Partnership’s “Gobble de Art” public art project, an initiative placing these fabulously decorated statues across the region to increase awareness and interest in the community, and to bring attention to the visual arts.
