To get a good view of the American flag on Flag Day – which is today, June 14th – local businessman Bill Donovan only has to look up.
Sitting right above his business, The Repair Shop on Seaview Avenue, is a quick, Patriotic symbol that he fashioned and built immediately after learning of the Sept. 11th attacks in 2001.
Attached to the telephone pole above his shop are two PVC pipes and a fluttering flag.
“I’ve had Old Glory flying up there on top of the phone pole since 9/11,†said Donovan. “I put it up in response to 9/11 and didn’t know it would be there this long, but I just kept going with it. Since then I’ve had to get 18 new flags to replace the ones that get worn out.â€
Initially, Donovan said he just attached the flag to the PVC piping that he installed to the top of the pole.
That meant he had to climb a ladder all the way up to the top when he needed to change it.
“I had to climb up a set of ladders every time I had to tend it,†he said. “Initially when I put it up I wasn’t thinking about it getting beat to death, so I didn’t put in a halyard. A little while later, I decided to put on a halyard and make things easier on myself.â€
And so far, the flag has become a welcomed member of the neighborhood.
“All the neighbors have commented about how much they like it,†said Donovan. “It was something I just thought of quickly after the attacks. It’s been up there now since 9/11 and it’s there today. I don’t think it’s going anywhere anytime soon.â€
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