Residents of Thousand Oaks have given the city a thousand good wishes. They came in the form of origami cranes via nimble hands young and old.
The staff at Newbury Park Library, knowing the building would be getting a fresh coat of paint along with a new roof and some electrical work near the beginning of the year, wanted to contribute something creative to the rejuvenation, said library aide Lisa Frattali.
“At the end of last year, we found out we were going to be painting the building,” she said. “We wanted to liven up the place and wanted to involve the community.”
Around that time, Frattali saw a display of folded paper origami cranes and was reminded of the legend of the thousand cranes.
“I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, that’s wonderful. I wish I knew how to fold these,” she said.
In some Asian cultures, the crane represents good health, longevity and good luck. Japanese legend holds that the large, migratory birds live for 1,000 years, and a wish will come true for anyone who folds 1,000 paper cranes.