FAIRHOPE — It’s a bittersweet end for Art Takes Flight. The project to raise money for public art has delighted thousands of tourists and locals since the colorful pelican sculptures began perching primarily around the heart of Fairhope this spring.

But now, the birds are resting for one last day at the Eastern Shore Art Center before they begin migrating across the street for silent and live auctions that will determine their new homes.

Barbara Casey, Art Takes Flight co-chair, said around 600 tickets have been purchased so far for Buy, Buy Birdie, a tropical pelican farewell party scheduled to be held Saturday, Sept. 29, at the Fairhope Civic Center. The doors will open at 5:30 p.m. with a silent pelican auction, she said, followed at 8 by a live auction.

Music will be provided by Coconut Dave, food by Cliff Stapleton Catering and beverages by Red & White and Gulf Distributing Co.

“We’ve gotten a wonderful response (for Buy, Buy Birdie),” Casey said. “We’ve had a wonderful response to the show at the Art Center. We hope we make a lot of money for public art in Fairhope.”

Tickets to Buy, Buy Birdie are $60 each (available at ESAC), and all money raised will go toward a public fountain to be placed in the plaza behind the new Fairhope Historical Museum. Casey said a call for artists interested in designing the fountain will soon be sounded.

Casey encourages everyone to go see the pelicans today at ESAC, as well as attend the weekend party. She said, “They’ll get to see the pelicans up close. They are all so beautiful, and the Art Center has had more visitors than they’ve ever had for an exhibit.”

Inquiries from other parts of the country have been pouring in from collectors hoping to bid for their favorite pelicans. Some out-of-town buyers have arranged for proxy buyers who will place bids on their behalf.

Casey said the finale will feature most of the flock grouped into six silent auctions, which will end at staggered times. The grouping is only for organizational reasons, and does not mean you must bid on more than one pelican.

The pelicans in the live auction are the People’s Choice Pelicans along with pelicans chosen by a group of jurors, independent of the Art Takes Flight Committee and COPA. Organizers said they wanted all of the pelicans in the live auction, but the auctioneer, Christie King Ray, emphasized that time would allow only around 25 items to be auctioned live.

Among the sculptures in the silent auction, according to Casey, are Birds in the Buff — three undecorated pelicans that were put aside so others would have a chance to create their own masterpiece. Another mostly naked pelican is adorned only by the autographs of artists who participated in Art Takes Flight.

Missing from the auction will be Pelican Bill with a Grill, a work created by Kathleen Taupeka and later stolen from its perch beside the Church Street Inn. Casey said Taupeka has painted a beautiful portrait of the missing bird that will be included in the live auction.

Claudia Ainsworth, Buy, Buy Birdie chairperson, said those who might not have the needed space at their home or business to offer a pelican a good home should consider bidding on one or more anyway and then donate them to a children’s hospital or nursing home. She said, “That’s something people might not have considered doing. They’re cheerful and creative, and cause you to smile. They’re beautiful.”

An opportunity for six winning bidders to place their pelicans back on public display for a year will also be part of the live auction. Ainsworth said, “This is more than being about taking one home. It’s about giving to someone else. It gives people an opportunity to give back to our city so others can enjoy them so much longer.”

The pelicans to be sold in the live auction are: Craig Sheldican; Pavlovacan; A Fishy Diet; Flighty Marilyn; Fred Astaire Pelican; The Word Bird; Party Pelican; Super Pelican; Weeks Bay Wings; Sunset Pelican II; Pelican Tooth Fairy; “War Birds”: Alabama Angel, Blondie, Miss Fairhope; Fly High, Danny Boy; Dream Builder; Elegant Pelican; Pelican in the Hat; Trapper; Wine-I-Can; Jewelbillee; Pelican Tails; Sheldon; The Artist; Lance Wingspan Tours De Bay; Freebird; A painting of “Pelican Bill with a Grill”: You Can't Keep a Good Bird Down; Public perches (a public perch for one year for your pelican — two at the library, two at the Fairhope Pier, one at the Welcome Center and one at the City Museum).

The pelicans must be taken right after the auction or picked up from the Fairhope Civic Center between 9 a.m. and noon on Sunday, Sept. 30.

The perches (the posts) are free, and will be available at the home of Dean and Pagan Mosher for one week only after the auction.

For more information about the pelicans, visit www.arttakesflight.com.