Seguin welcomes Saver the Squirrel

(Seguin) — Don’t forget to give Saver the Squirrel a big wave the next time you travel along State Highway 123 Bypass. Saver is the second hand-crafted squirrel to find its home as part of the Seguin Commission on the Arts Squirrel Trail Program. The larger-than-life squirrel sits outside front Schertz Bank & Trust.

Bank Vice President Lee Prince says the local bank is excited to be a part of the squirrel trail program which outfits the city with creatively painted squirrels around town.

“It looks great. I think it turned out very nice. The colors were done well. That’s our bank colors. Of course, squirrels aren’t blue and white but the bank’s colors are blue and white and the artist that painted it was trying to blend our logo is the eagle — so, she was trying to blend elements or kind of the look of the eagle in with the squirrel. The squirrel, obviously, dominated but if you look close, you see the eyes are a little more not squirrel like and stuff like that. So, it’s just little touches that she did on that,” said Prince.

Prince says the bank took a quick interest in purchasing one of the first squirrels for the program. He says the benefits are limitless.

“The initial thought was that it would be a good involvement with the community — to have a squirrel trial. I don’t know who came up with the idea but I thought it was a real neat idea and the other thing that came to mind was it would be great for when children see it. They are going to love it and it’s going to leave an impression on them. They’ll travel around. The parents will take them around town to see all the squirrels and I’m thinking that when they see ours, maybe they’ll equate that positively with the bank as well. So, Saver the Squirrel is the name and hopefully, they’ll start saving money sooner in life than later,” said Prince.

Although Saver has been on the bank lawn for only a few short days, Prince says the response has already been a good one.

“Every once in a while, you look out the window and we’ve probably seen like four or five glimpses of the mom or the dad, either one, will be out there and their child will be looking at it and then they’ll take pictures of it with their child standing beside it. One little girl was hugging it,” laughs Prince. “So, she liked it. And, I was like ‘awe, that’s kind of neat.’ When you get a hug, life is good. Other than ice cream, what else can be better?”

As the city looks to grow the number of squirrels around town, Prince encourages other businesses or organizations to also join in on the fun.

“You know, I’m surprised the other banks didn’t jump on it because I think it promotes a positive image for any business not just a bank but any business. And, it shows that you like to have a little fun in life too and I thought this was a fun project. That would be what I would say. If you want to have a little fun and you want to promote your image, this is a good thing to do,” said Prince.

The first commissioned squirrel to make its debut in town was Joy. Joy and its colorful floral print can be found outside the Spirit of Joy Lutheran Church at 416 Dolle Ave. The fiberglass squirrel was unveiled to the public in mid-February. Seguin Main Street Officials say two more squirrels are slated for installation very soon.

The Seguin Squirrel Trail Program, which so far has 14 sponsored squirrels, is similar to public arts projects and programs visible in other cities. Examples include the horses in Amarillo or closer to home, the Mermaids in San Marcos.

Saver the Squirrel is located outside the front doors of Schertz Bank & Trust located at 203 N. State Hwy. 123.