TEXARKANA MAGAZINE
You’re a Grand Old Flag BY BRITT EARNEST | PHOTOS BY MATT CORNELIUS A t any point in the year when you get to see the town’s streets lined with flags, the words of the song “You’re a Grand Old Flag,” written by George M. Cohan in 1906, may spring to mind. Have you ever wondered where diverse range of groups and individuals in the community to help run the fifty-five routes where flags are placed. David explains you might see scouts, high school students, church groups, fraternal organizations, Rotarians, or one of many other individuals and groups assigned to work on a flag route. It has proven to be a great way for people to earn money while being part of a project that honors this great nation.
the flags come from or who organizes such an enormous project? Perhaps you have also considered whether you can get involved. According to Texarkana Rotary Club’s Flag Coordinator David Mims, the local Rotary Clubs founded the Flag Project to raise funds for the many things they do in the community. The annual project is now in year 22 and is just as popular today as it was back in 2000. Texarkana resident Malise O’Banion, a flag project participant, said, “We love our flags and are so happy to see them put out each time. We have five flags, one for each of our children. We chose to participate in the program to support the Rotary Club and the good work they do in our community. The flags are a reminder of the young men and women who gave their very lives so that we can live in the best country in the world.” Five thousand flags (and growing) are displayed in and around Texarkana during seven holidays each year: Martin Luther King Day, Presidents’ Day, Memorial Day, Flag Day, Independence Day, Patriots Day and Veterans Day. The project was initially handled exclusively by Rotarians, but it outgrew them many years ago. The club now partners with a
The execution of this project provides a truly fantastic opportunity for the community to come together. The Liberty- Eylau Independent School District Welding Department produces the bases that fix in the ground to hold the flags. Randy Sam’s Outreach Shelter and Liberty-Eylau Athletics provide people to load flags for route runners. David proudly explained that Rotary Club members are exclusively responsible for all flag builds. He believes these operations run as efficiently as any assembly line a factory would be proud to have. Carol Wilder handled the organization’s bookkeeping for many years, keeping track of around 5,000 flags. This massive job is now administered by Shirley Pinnix, Sundae Braley, Kathy Graves, Alice Coleman and Dianne Martin. For many years, Joel Orr has generously provided storage of the flags in one of his buildings. Zone leaders Mike Richardson, Landon Forbes, Jennifer Lacefield and Bill Patton each manage a different section of town. David
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COMMUNITY & CULTURE
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