GRAND HAVEN, Mich. — When severe storms and strong winds roll into west Michigan, you can expect trampolines, garbage bins and yard decorations to take flight.
But you wouldn't expect to see a 7-foot tall inflatable unicorn.
That's exactly what a driver and her kids saw bounce in front of them along Comstock Street near the Grand Haven Memorial Airpark Tuesday night.
Severe storms crashed through the area overnight, leaving downed trees and power outages in their wake.
The strong winds had enough power to lift "Unicorn Charlie" from a fenced area at Skydive Grand Haven, sending him into the path of an unassuming mom and her kids.
"Unicorn Charlie"
Haley Gwinn, the Drop Zone Manager at the skydiving company, said they recently bought a new plane that has a tail number that includes "N1UC."
Pilots will communicate the plane's call sign as "One, Uniform, Charlie," which sounds like "Unicorn Charlie" to many staff members.
This year, another staffer bought an inflatable unicorn to serve as a mascot for the plane.
The company will sometimes tether the toy in the landing field so that skydivers can sail around the giant inflatable.
On Tuesday, Gwinn said Unicorn Charlie was left outside the building.
She posted a tongue-in-cheek "missing" poster on Skydive Grand Haven's Facebook page to get the magical creature back.
Around 10 p.m. Tuesday, she saw a Facebook post from a woman who reported a unicorn sighting nearby.
It was from the same driver and her kids.
The group went looking for the huge inflatable Wednesday, and they found Unicorn Charlie in a wooded area about a quarter mile from Skydive Grand Haven.
The mascot and Skydive Grand Haven were reunited Wednesday afternoon.
Gwinn said from now on, staffers will be sure to keep Unicorn Charlie inside the hangers during windy days so he doesn't go on another adventure.
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