• Project coordinator Janet Johnson details the Hokie Birds
• See and hear different Hokie birds being created
• See artists' preliminary designs
• The big picture -- where to find many of the birds (PDF)

The first of a series of 75 decorated Hokie Bird statues were unveiled on a breezy February morning at the Blacksburg Municipal Building.

Gobble de Art is an effort to raise money for the Blacksburg Partnership, a public-private economic development agency, by creating, displaying and finally auctioning fiberglass Hokie Birds decorated by local artists. The project is similar to campaigns that put horses around Lexington, Ky., and fish and crabs around Baltimore.

The Hokie Bird statues will stand guard throughout Blacksburg as part of a project by the Blacksburg Partnership to generate tourism, spruce up the town and raise money. Nov. 11 auction raises $73,000

One honors the life of Thomas "Nick" Brantley, a former cadet who died while preparing to serve in Iraq.

Alas, the birds have been a tempting target for vandals. Story

By the numbers
75 The total number of statues to be displayed
5 Approximate height, in feet, of each statue
120 Approximate weight, in pounds, of each statue
$7,500 Price to buy a statue