WICKER PARK — Many of the 84 gnomes placed next to trees throughout the neighborhood for Arbor Day last week have been swiped, but the group behind the effort says it's okay that the creatures — which cost about $60 each — are disappearing.
"It’s okay if they disappear, we knew they would. Gnomes are magical creatures and sometimes you only catch a glimpse of them before they run off to somewhere new," said Jessica Wobbekind, program manager for the Wicker Park Bucktown Special Service Area No. 33, which paid about $5,000 for the installation.
Wicker Park Bucktown Special Service Area Taxpayer District No. 33 levies a special tax on property owners for communal services such as street cleaning and snow removal.
"They served their purpose here, creating mischief and surprising people on Friday morning. The idea was to get attention for Arbor Day in a fun and unusual way," said Wobbekind.
The idea for the gnomes came out of multiple committees and the gnomes were ordered online and spray painted bright orange. The volunteer chairman of the commission, Brent Norsman, stenciled the group's logo and website ognome.com on the back of the three-foot-tall gnomes.
By Saturday morning, all three of the gnomes placed in Wicker Park' namesake park at 1425 N. Damen Ave. the day before were gone.
Two Chicago Park District workers, however, were able to recover one gnome when they saw a woman carrying the gnome through the park and stopped her.
"We asked how she got it and she said she just found it. She gave it back," said the park district worker, who is keeping the gnome in his office until it gets placed back outdoors.
The campaign also included 500 tree tags with different Arbor Day Tree Facts on each, such as "For ever 41 we spend on trees, we get about $2.70 back" and "Trees make our streets quieter."
The paper tags, which Wobbekind said cost about $4,000, are tied to trees along commercial streets in the SSA No. 33 District, such as Milwaukee, Western, North and Damen avenues.
Wobbekind added, "The tags are reusable so we will get more than one Arbor Day out it."
On social media, fans of the gnomes have posted photos using the hashtag #orangegnome and #orangegnomeproject to share their experiences.
After Sunday, business owners in the commercial district are encouraged to "adopt a gnome."
If they can find one.
Friday vibes #TGIF #wickerpark pic.twitter.com/tXC3yrBCE7
— Leah McKelvey (@LMcKelvey) April 29, 2016
