On July 1, people across Rowan County will be opening their doors to an unexpected surprise. During the night Rowan County Republican Women volunteers will have planted red, white and blue pinwheels in the yards of unsuspecting neighbors, family and friends.

The pinwheels are not just a prank, however. The pinwheels will be the result of a fundraiser held by the group during the month of June. People who donate $25 to the fundraiser will be given the opportunity to pick out someone whose yard they want pinwheeled. That yard will then be decorated by volunteers from the Rowan County Republican Women in the middle of the night.

“It’s all great, festive fun for the July 4 weekend,” said Erica Vedeikis, president of the group.

If someone is worried about HOA rules or simply do not want their yard pinwheeled, they can donate $50 to the fundraiser in order to receive insurance against the decorations. If a homeowner wants to get back at the someone who targeted them, they can pay $75 for insurance. This gives them the protection that the second tier of donations provides, as well as giving the person the opportunity to return the favor against the person who tried to pinwheel their yard.

Members of the group thought of the idea for the fundraiser three years ago when they noticed similar fundraisers that were being held by churches and other organizations, such as flamingoing yards.

“We saw what other people were doing, and we noticed that people in the county didn’t really decorate for July 4. They decorated for Christmas and other holidays, but not July 4. So we thought of the idea to do something that recognizes our patriotism,” said Vedeikis.

The fundraiser helps raise money for the groups political efforts, mostly supporting local candidates and elections. The Rowan County Republican Women are an active political organization who make an effort to support Republican candidates throughout the state and help educate voters about candidates in upcoming elections.  Last year, part of that effort was a forum held for Republican Rowan County School Board candidates. This year, part of the plan is to hold a meet-and-greet for state and local candidates.