VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - When Dana Freed and Dominick DiColandrea moved into their home last year from New York, they kept getting the same question from neighbors.
"Are you going to dress the goose? Do you have the costumes?" Freed recounted.
The bizarre questions suddenly made sense when they remembered a discovery they'd made while moving in.
"We found a box of costumes in the closet, which we originally thought were little costumes for a puppy or dog," said DiColandrea.
It turns out the original owners started the tradition back in the 70s, dressing up the stone goose that sits on top of the mailbox in front of their home on Stratford Chase Drive.
It was a tradition neighbor grew to love, so Freed and DiColandrea decided to take it to a new level, thanks to costuming skills Freed picked up while helping with her daughter's high school theater productions in New York.
"It’s become a lot of fun for us. We enjoy it," said DiColandrea.
They come up with ideas and work together to find what they need at thrift stores. Her current look is Elsa from the movie Frozen, but she's had 15 - 20 different outfits over the past year.
"My favorite was for the anniversary of Woodstock, and we dressed her up as a hippie," said Freed.
What started with a box of costumes has turned into an entire closet of goose garb with a winter coat, rain jacket, dresses, and other items. No matter the season or weather, she's never without an outfit.
"We feel really bad when she's naked," laughed Freed.
It's a labor of love that the neighbors have noticed. "We've actually gotten love letters. Well, she's gotten love letters," said Freed. "I've gotten cards from people saying, 'it brightens up my day so much when I come by.'"
One neighbor even sends pictures of the goose to a family in Colombia.
"She's got international fame now," said DiColandrea.
As for what comes next for Halloween, Freed said, "We are keeping that a secret."
You'll have to duck back by later to see.
Erica Greenway at WTKR first reported this story.
