Well, I was fortunate enough to be able to pull away from work long enough to attend this brief ceremony. It was really quite nice. There was a modest, respectable and respectful crowd in attendance; maybe 30 or so folks. Two young ladies were excitedly handing out hand-held flags for those who attended.
Several individuals were recognized for their contributions to the new flag pole and flag. The entire project was done with private monies. The final speaker was Mayor Dan Pike who also spoke very briefly, maybe five minutes, and then directed local veterans to raise the flag.
Folks, this was one of, if not THE biggest flag I've ever seen. It's 20 feet tall and 30 feet wide. It took a number of people to get the thing flying without dragging it on the ground. I tried to capture the essence of the event in photos, and I think they came out nicely.
Heading north on 12th street. The pole is empty, and the ceremony is just about to begin.
Pre-ceremony preparations are being made to hoist the new flag.
The modest crowd waits respectfully.
Mayor Pike faces in a southerly direction and battles the Sun as he surveys the crowd.
Mayor Pike makes a brief address prior to the flag going up.
John Servais from
NWCitizen shows us one of his better poses.
Note the gentleman to the right of Servais in the Yankees ballcap. He is installing a crank into the pole which operates much like an old brace & bit. This crank was used to hoist the flag to the top of the pole, and some fairly burley men were having difficulty getting it cranked up there! It took about two minutes to get the flag all the way to the top. It was appropriate that it took so long, thus allowing us to soak in the moment.
The new flag is starting to come out of the box as it is raised.
In these next few shots, compare the size of the flag (what you can see of it) to the people standing next to it. It's huge! At this point, the only word I was hearing was "Wow!" as people took in the impressive sight of this flag being unfurled. There was a gentle breeze coming from the south, and it filled the flag like a spinnaker on a sailboat. It was a very moving moment. Several in the crowd stood with their hand over their heart as the flag was raised.
Bear in mind that this pole is 110 feet tall. The flag looks deceptively small up there.
Looking North again, up 12th street. The new flag is flying beautifully!
Mark Twain wrote:
A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting its shoes on.
Mark Twain
Baron Miller wrote:
Grace ruins the idea that you are fully in charge.
Baron Miller
