| Amy Matzke-Fawcett

amy.matzke.fawcett@roanoke.com, 381-1674

BLACKSBURG -- For anyone who has wanted one of the painted Hokie Bird statues around Blacksburg but thought they were a little too big or too pricey, now is your chance.

A line of smaller, 24-inch Hokie Bird statues will be introduced over the next year.

During the summer and fall of 2006, the Blacksburg Partnership placed 75 5-foot-tall Hokie Bird statues around town, each with a different theme and designed by local artists.

"We wanted a smaller version for the home or office with designs that might appeal for a broader audience," said Diane Akers, president of the Blacksburg Partnership.

The first, "Letter Sweater Hokie," a bird in a Virginia Tech sweater, is available now. Others include a Hokie bird in a football uniform, a cadet uniform and a golfer. There will be one debuted each quarter.

There will be 50 of each style bird handmade by Bill Gaither of Wild Art Gifts in Texas.

The money raised through both statues goes to fund the Blacksburg Partnership's initiatives, Akers said. Those initiatives include marketing, economic development studies, a downtown market analysis, arts initiative efforts and a contribution to Friends of the Farmers Market.

The large birds brought in about $200,000, said Thomas Becher, spokesman for the Blacksburg Partnership.

About 20 birds, priced at $495 apiece, have already been sold, Akers said.

"We have some people that have bought all four already," she said.

If the first four small statues are popular, the Partnership may introduce more, Akers said.