St. Regis saloon's mascot 'George' flies the coop
Valley Press-Mineral Independent | UPDATED 1 month AGO
George, the Talking Bird Saloon's myna bird, is still at large, and the community of St. Regis is encouraged to keep looking for him in the weeks to come. Photo courtesy/Talking Bird Saloon.
Have you seen him?
It’s been over two weeks since George, the beloved bar mascot of the Talking Bird Saloon in St. Regis, accidentally flew the coop. The talkative black and yellow Myna bird was out for his usual morning exercise, flying around the saloon when he slipped out the front door.
Bartender Debby Norris has worked on an off at the Bird, as locals call it, for decades. She detailed George’s unfortunate escape.
“He is out every morning for exercise before we open," she said. "The door was unlocked, as we have people who do paperwork and tend our machines. The bar is dimly lit, and when they went to leave, they didn’t see him by the door, and he followed them out. It truly was no one’s fault.”
Norris has been around for four different Georges. This one was technically George IX. Sounds pretty regal.
“This George has by far been mine and nearly everyone’s favorite," she admitted. "It’s the first one that we trained to talk in-house.”
General Manager Kenny Jasper shared, “We still have lots of eyes looking for him but, unfortunately, no one has seen him since his departure. We still have high hopes but also understand he is a little bird in a big new environment.”
The days after George went missing, the whole town of St. Regis was out walking, driving, and biking, looking for the bird. Some used binoculars, and many used his favorite sounds and sayings, trying to get George to parrot back to them.
Norris said, “That first day I was not there, but was told there were 50 to 60 people (looking). There have been a lot of eyes out looking, so the fact that nobody has seen him is troubling. But he is a pretty small bird. The number of birds that live in our area that are black is incredible.”
She was dismayed, “There haven’t been any sightings, which is disheartening. The cold weather worries us, as they are easily susceptible to cold.”
The Talking Bird Saloon has had a Myna bird since 1962.
Jasper noted, “There always has to be a George, so if that time comes, we will have to get George the 10th. George the 9th is almost five. Not ready to give up and hope we get him back. He is definitely one of the best we ever had!”
The current George was from New York City. Jasper explained, “We usually find them in New York or Florida. The training is a group effort, with all the staff leaving a phrase on him, which George, after enough time, will pick up and start to use.”
A $1,000 reward remains for successfully finding and reuniting George to the Talking Bird.
Mynas are extremely vocal and responsive birds, hence why he was the social ambassador at the bar. While the public is still encouraged to keep an eye and an ear out for him, some of George’s favorite sayings are: Good morning, Hey George, Handsome Bird, Here Kitty Kitty, Meow! And he also likes to whistle Beethoven’s 5th.