Newswise — The University of Maryland's Fear the Turtle Sculptures have been making quite a stir around the region this summer, caught in the viewfinder with lots of cuddly kids, hulking fans and cute couples. But their time on display has come to an end.
The turtles are being gathered up and brought back to campus this week - many to be readied for auction to the highest bidder at an Oct. 19 gala event. All proceeds from the auction go towards student scholarships.
Leading up to the Fear the Turtle Auction on Oct.18, the turtles will be part of a 10 a.m. campus parade on their way to the Samuel Riggs IV Alumni Center, where visitors will have their first - and last - chance to see all 50 of the sculptures together. They will be "showing off their shells" from noon until 5 p.m.
Fifty of the four-and-a-half-foot tall sculptures were decorated by local artists and designers to capture the spirit and achievement of the university in fanciful ways during its 150th Anniversary. "All the artists did a wonderful job of creating really beautiful, whimsical and engaging designs," said Terry Flannery, assistant vice president for marketing and communications. "We asked them to re-imagine our mascot to capture the spirit of the university, its achievements and its connections to the state. The designs we got are truly amazing."
Twenty of the turtles have been wowing crowds from the state's northern border on I-95 at the Chesapeake House and Maryland House service areas, to Downtown Silver Spring, to Union Station in Washington, D.C. Another thirty turtles have been brightening up the Maryland campus. The Fear the Turtle home page has all the locations.
Bidders who are serious about wanting to claim one of the turtles for their own are encouraged to request an invitation to the live auction event. Thirty-two nifty turtles will be up for grabs that night. Two turtles will even be auctioned online. Starting bids will be set between $500 to $1,000.
SCAVENGER HUNT OFFERS GREAT PRIZES
One turtle sculpture is being reserved for the winner of a special scavenger hunt that has already drawn hundreds of entries. The contest - co-sponsored by the university with WUSATV9 in Washington, D.C. and CBS13 - WJZ TV in Baltimore - ended on Sunday, October 1.
The rules included:
* Get your photo taken with all 50 sculptures and you'll be eligible to win one of the fifty Fear the Turtle sculptures and a special Fear the Turtle prize package. Plus, 20 contestants will be randomly selected to win Maryland: Reflections on 150 Years, a beautiful hard-cover book commemorating the university's 150 Anniversary. * Get your photo taken with at least 40 of the sculptures for a chance to win Keeping the Promise, an 83-minute history of the University of Maryland on DVD (20 winners will be randomly selected from contestants entering 40 to 49 photos). * Get your photo taken with at least 30 of the sculptures for a chance to win a University of Maryland 150th Anniversary commemorative Fear the Turtle t-shirt (30 winners will be randomly selected from contestants entering 30 to 39 photos, sizes vary).
The official rules can be found on the Scavenger Hunt "Nifty 50" web page at http://www.feartheturtle.umd.edu/fttsculptures/50nifty/.
ERICA RABBIN: ONE SERIOUS TURTLE FAN
One Terp has elevated sculpture posing to a new level with a color coordinated or themed outfit to match each of the 50 turtles.
Erica Rabbin, a senior at Maryland who lives in Olney, dedicated her summer to having a good time with the turtle sculptures that were designed to help celebrate the University's 150th Anniversary. She turned herself into a devilish partner for the "Shell Full of Hell" sculpture, a Latin dancer with "Aztec Warrior," Super Woman with "Turning into Super Terp," and donned crazy green, red and black colors to complement the "Chaos" turtle which symbolizes theories in math research. Creativity is not a criteria for winning the contest, but Erica says she had a great time.
We can provide publication-quality photos of our "Fear the Turtle" sculptures.
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