U.S. flags will fly on holidays

A group of eight Wake Forest organizations, one business and Commissioner Anne Reeve received permission from the Wake Forest Town Board Tuesday night to place American flags in the two roundabouts on South Franklin Street and the roundabout in front of the Wake Forest Baptist Church on five national holidays.

“We’ve worked on this for over a year,” Mike Johnson, one of the organizers, told the board while Planning Director Chip Russell stood next to him. Russell, along with Town Manager Kip Padgett and Public Works Director Mike Barton have worked with the group to get permission from the state Department of Transportation for the five flags in the roundabout on South Main at South Avenue and to work out other details.

When they were determining the placement of the flags, Johnson said people passing by were stopping to take pictures, waving and honking horns.

The flags will be flown on Memorial Day, Flag Day (June 14), July 4, Purple Heart Day (August 7), and Veterans Day. There will be seven flags in each of the Franklin Street roundabouts and five flags in the South Main roundabout, which is much smaller.

The Wake Forest Lions Club will place the flags on Memorial Day, the Wake Forest Kiwanis Club will place them on Flag Day, Anytime Fitness (the owner is a veteran) will place the flags on July 4, the Wakefield Rotary Club will place the flags on Purple Heart Day and the American Legion Post 187 will place them on Veterans Day.

The other members of the flag project group are the Wake Forest Woman’s Club, the VFW, the Marine Corps League, the Wake Forest Rotary Club, and the Daughters of the American Revolution, Gen. James Moore Chapter.

The group raised over $800 and will purchase 25 or 30 all-weather flags which will be stored between uses at the American Legion building on East Holding Avenue. They have over $200 left for future flag purchases. They will also purchase solar up lighting in the event the flags are left overnight.

“We have additional Wake Forest organizations wanting to participate in the flag program if a decision is made to expand to additional locations and/or provide backup for the current organizations placing the flag,” the information sheet provided said