Presidents Day flag on Whitney Street (Photo/Molly Alger)
Happy 4th of July! Here’s the scene at 18 Bulkley Avenue South. Monica Ryan and her family decorated their front door this way — and added plenty of bunting, pinwheels in the yard, flags in the driveway, and sparkling lights at night.
(Photo/Gina Ryan)
Last year, historian Bob Weingarten wrote a story for Greens Farms Magazine, about flags in town.
Three caught my eye. May they continue to wave proudly!
Artists Walter and Naiad Einsel designed Uncle Sam and Miss Liberty, flanking the Stars and Stripes.
Little Barn, on the Post Road.
A replica of Betsy Ross’ original flag, flying on Greens Farms Road.
Decorations by Rebecca and Diane Yormark:
Posted in Arts, History, Pic of the Day, Restaurants
Tagged American flag, Betsy Ross flag, Little Barn restaurant, Naiad Einsel, Walter Einsel
Bears and a flag, at the Exxon station (Photo/Ed Simek)
Posted in Pic of the Day, Totally random, Transportation
Tagged American flag, bears, Exxon gas station
Tattered but proud, the flag flies over Patagonia (Photo/Jamie Walsh)
Beautiful sight on the Ruth Steinkraus Cohen Bridge (Photo/Lucy Zeko)
I sure screwed up yesterday’s post about a “missing” AED. (It wasn’t stolen from Winslow Park at all – it had never been installed. I also misidentified the donor — it’s the Gudis Family Foundation and Norwalk Hospital, not the Adam Greenlee Foundation. Click here to see how many times I could be wrong in one post.)
This one is on the money.
A year ago, Tarantino owner John Paul Marchetti installed an American flag outside his Railroad Place restaurant.
He’s a proud Marine Corps Reserves veteran — he served in Iraq — and was honored to fly it 24/7.
Yesterday, he and his brothers — co-owners of the popular Saugatuck spot — noticed the flag was gone.
Marchetti was angry. “This country gave my immigrant parents everything,” he said. “The flag is a symbol of freedom. Someone stole that symbol.”
I told Marchetti I would post the story on “06880.” We’d ask the thief to return the flag, no questions asked.
Meanwhile, Marchetti posted a photo on social media.
Westport Hardware Store owner Richie Velez saw it. He promised to bring a replacement over, as soon as he got off work.
So, if you’re the flag thief, do the right thing. Hand it off to someone who can fly it as proudly as Marchetti, and cares as much as Velez.
(Hat tip: Johnny Carrier)
The Jesup Road side of police headquarters sports a new look:
Police Chief Dale Call says it was loaned by a veteran who wishes to remain anonymous.
“He is proud to have served, and is a big supporter of the service done by our military and law enforcement every day,” the chief explains. “We’re proud to display it.”
The flag will hang — proudly — through Memorial Day.
For years, the flag flying over Patagonia has looked pretty ratty.
Not as tattered as the one Francis Scott Key saw over Fort McHenry — but close.
These days, a big, new and handsome flag stands proudly downtown.
Just in time for Memorial Day.
Comments Off on Broad Stripes And Bright Stars
Posted in Downtown, Local business
Tagged American flag, Patagonia
Of the many memories I have of President Kennedy’s assassination, the most searing may be seeing flags at half-staff.
For 30 days, every American flag flew sadly, partway up its pole. It was a powerful reminder of the tremendous loss our country suffered.
Flags flew at half-staff on similarly sad occasions — when presidents Truman, Eisenhower and Johnson died, for example. I can’t remember any other time, when I was a teenager, that I saw flags that way.
Today, it seems, flags are almost permanently at half-staff.
The tribute is awarded to former police officers, firefighters and town employees, as well as every Connecticut resident killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. In the soldiers’ cases, the flag remains at half-staff until after the burial.
I do not want to diminish anyone’s death — not the men and women who served our town, or those from our state who gave their lives serving our country.
But I can’t help wondering whether flying flags at half-staff so often doesn’t diminish their deaths in some way. Most of the time, we don’t know who’s being honored. There’s no one to tell us, so we ignore the symbolism. Half-staff flags become part of the scenery.
I know many “06880” readers will disagree. I’m not even sure I agree with myself.
But — in true American spirit — let the debate begin.
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