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Festivus Poles Return to Queens
Festivus Centerpiece Now Available at Royal Gardens Florist on Queens Boulevard
Milwaukee, WI – Festivus Poles® are now available at the Royal Garden Florist in Rego Park, Queens. Manufactured in Milwaukee, these aluminum poles are an integral part of the celebration of Festivus as it was first described by fictional Queens resident, Frank Costanza.
In the December 18, 1997 episode of "Seinfeld" titled "The Strike" Mr. Costanza, played by Jerry Stiller, tells of how he invented the holiday when his son was young and he found himself in a department store tug-of-war with another Christmas shopper for a doll. “I realized there had to be a better way,” Frank recounts.
According to Mr. Costanza, the Festivus tradition begins with a bare aluminum pole, which is praised for its "very high strength-to-weight ratio." The unadorned aluminum pole is displayed in opposition to the commercialization of highly decorated Christmas trees, and because the holiday's creator, Frank Costanza, "find[s] tinsel distracting."
The $39 Festivus Poles® are produced from aluminum pipe. They are 1-7/8 inches in diameter and are 6 feet tall. They come with a collapsible base so that they may be easily stored in a crawl space when not in use.
Festivus Poles® are manufactured in Milwaukee, Wisconsin by The Wagner Companies. Wagner first began producing Festivus Poles® in 2005.
While Festivus boasts no commercialism, no frills and no tinsel, The Wagner Companies cannot deny the popularity of its Festivus Poles. The company has shipped more than 5,000 Festivus Poles since first making them available.
Tony Leto explains how he came upon the idea for manufacturing Festivus Poles® in Milwaukee.
“Having grown up in Astoria, Queens and gone to Queens College with Jerry Seinfeld, I was always a big fan of the show. In December, 2004, I read an article in the New York Times by Allen Salkin that touched on how the fictional Festivus was starting to take hold in various parts of the country. The specifications noted for Festivus Poles were certainly something we could meet so I registered the domain name ‘festivuspoles.com’ for possible use later. Then, in October 2005, I happened across a copy of Allen’s newly published ‘Festivus, The Holiday for the Rest of Us.’ The timing seemed right and we went into production. Milwaukee seemed like the perfect manufacturing location for Festivus Poles since it is a city that shares the Festivus Pole’s ‘very high strength-to-weight ratio’. It has also been a fun project for us since it allows us to step away from the architectural and industrial metal products we would typically produce.”
In addition to an aluminum pole, the celebration includes two more components: “The Airing of Grievances” and “The Feats of Strength.”
“The Airing of Grievances” takes place at the Festivus dinner. Each participant tells friends and family all of the instances where they disappointed him or her that year.
During “The Feats of Strength” the head of the family tests their strength against one participant of the head's choosing. Festivus is not considered over until the head of the family has been pinned to the ground. A participant is allowed to decline to attempt to pin the head of the family only if they have something better to do instead.
Royal Garden Florist is located at 99-21 Queens Boulevard, Rego Park. Their phone number is 718-459-6333. Online orders may be placed at www.festivuspoles.com.
The Wagner Companies has been in the metal business since 1850 as a manufacturer of handrail fittings and metal products for architectural and industrial applications. The Wagner Companies is made up of R & B Wagner, Inc. and The J. G. Braun Company. The main product lines include: Architectural Catalog, Architectural Custom and Industrial Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) products. Wagner offers laser, waterjet cutting, bending, stamping and finishing capabilities, as well as engineering assistance. Wagner has a large inventory of raw materials and over 7,800 stock items in steel, brass, bronze, aluminum, and stainless steel. For further information on The Wagner Companies, go to www.wagnercompanies.com or contact The Wagner Companies at 888-243-6914 or info@mailwagner.com.
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