A blessing of unicorns

BROOKINGS — In popular culture, the whimsical term for a group of unicorns is a “blessing.”

Paula Becker of Brookings would agree.

Becker, 70, has been collecting unicorns since she was a young girl.

A self-described “military brat,” she is originally from Minnesota but attended high school in England, where a friend gave her a picture of a unicorn out of a magazine. She was captivated by it.

“My faith in God was very strong because of my grandmother, but I also believed in the magic of unicorns,” she said.

By her late teens, Becker had started collecting unicorns. Today, she has an entire room filled with unicorn memorabilia and doesn’t mind being known as the “unicorn lady.” She continues to add to her collection, and friends and colleagues also give her unicorn-related gifts.

Recently she set her sights on finding an even larger unicorn for her collection.

“I thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be nice to have a life-size unicorn?’ We looked online, and we decided not to get one that was standing up because the wind would blow it down,” she said.

Becker and her husband, Dave Kaminsky, found a unicorn that is lying down, and its body is a bench. They ordered it from a small family business in New York.

“It was a celebration in that I had just passed the six-month cancer-free mark,” Becker said. “And when I saw that this one was a bench, that’s when I knew I would want to share it with other kids that have the belief in the magic of unicorns.” She added that she experienced some challenges in her childhood and wants to have fun as an adult.

The unicorn arrived bubble-wrapped in a wooden crate at the Becker/Kaminsky house a couple of weeks ago, and Kaminsky unloaded it and got it into the back yard. The couple named it Luna Majik Becker.
Becker appreciates the lore of the unicorn and said it gives her comfort.

“In the stories, they used to take the horn and make it into powder and it would heal them,” she said. “The unicorn only comes to a pure-hearted girl. The unicorn is mentioned in the Bible several times. It’s a protector.”

Becker invites community members to bring their children to have their picture taken with the unicorn. An early and devoted volunteer with the Brookings Regional Humane Society, she asks for a freewill donation to the Humane Society, but it is not required. She will also give tours of her unicorn room.

To see Luna the unicorn and tour the collection room, call 605-697-6530 in the evenings or email pmbecker13@hotmail.com to schedule a time.

“I’ve already given tours of my room to a couple granddaughters of some friends, so I thought that would be a neat thing to do,” she said. And all are welcome. “Unicorns are not just for little kids.”