Ranch mascot receives name: Cranky the Crane

EAST COUNTY — When Brendan Moran’s daughter, Kendall, trotted into his bedroom too early on a weekend morning, her response to his sleepy greeting prompted an idea.

The 8-year-old informed her father that he was cranky that morning. Kendall unknowingly named Lakewood Ranch’s mascot.

“After she said that I thought, ‘Hmmm… That might work,’” Moran said.

Moran submitted Cranky into the contest for naming the Ranch’s mascot. Cranky is now the name of East County’s favorite sandhill crane.

Premier Sports Campus, Schroeder-Manatee Ranch and Lakewood Ranch Commercial representatives revealed the crane’s name at Music on Main Dec. 5.

The father of two received four free tickets to Winterfest on Feb. 28.

Cranky sported a black tank top with his new name sewn on the back in green block letters, which stayed hidden with a black shawl until the reveal.

When Cranky showed his name, laughter and applause echoed off the storefronts that line the shopping strip. The audience seemed to approve.

A committee of four individuals chose the name from a pool of about 500 entries. Premier Sports Campus Director Antonio Saviano hatched the idea for the 7-foot-tall mascot and was a member of the name selection committee.

“The response was huge,” Saviano said.

Participants largely submitted more common names or “people names,” such as Sandy, which Moran’s children submitted as their suggestion.

Saviano assures the mascot won’t be cranky and will always stop for a photo opportunity with whoever is interested. The name is supposed to be comical, he said.

The name is a reminder of the sometimes pushy feathered neighbors the Morans have gotten used to since they moved from the Midwest to East County.

The birds stroll through the family’s backyard, and when Moran or his children get too close to the birds, they get cranky, he says, laughing.

“The name just stuck out,” Saviano said. “Cranky gives the mascot more of a personality; it just made sense. We were looking for something that was different and not easy to forget.”

CRANKY NOW ON FACEBOOK
The bird will post statuses on his whereabouts and photos of people he meets and places he visits around the Ranch.

To leave a comment for Cranky or for information on where he’ll flock to next, visit facebook.com/CrankytheCraneLWR.