Published 1:14 pm Wednesday, October 28, 2026 THOMASVILLE — It’s that time again. The orange squirrels are here! In 2023, Thomasville Center for the Arts decided to celebrate one of the Red Hills’ most familiar wildlife characters by asking artist David Junker to create 28 orange papier-mâché squirrels in honor of the 28th Wildlife Arts Festival. Junker not only created them, but he did what he does best—he gave them big personalities. These wonderfully imperfect creatures held wildlife flags, four-leaf clovers and flowers. Some even offered passersby a nut or two. Others simply perched in unexpected places looking as though they had been there all along. Before long, people were looking for them. They appeared in The UnVacant Lot, at Thomasville Center for the Arts, along downtown storefronts, in trees, on signs, and tucked into places where residents might not notice them on their first pass. And even an oversized squirrel now permanently lives on the water tower near West Jefferson Street, just off West Jackson. Can you find him? Of course, squirrels have always had a way of attracting attention. They are cute, energetic, clever, and playful, darting through trees, gathering nuts and chasing one another from branch to branch. They can also be mischievous, destructive, and just a little chaotic. In other words, they have personality. Culturally, squirrels land somewhere between beloved woodland character and lovable nuisance. But here in the Red Hills, the squirrel…
*This content (including text, artwork, graphics, photography, and video) was provided by the third party(ies) as referenced above. Any rights or other content questions or inquiries should be directed to such third-party provider(s).
