Club sets 2021 Avenue of Flags program

VW independent/submitted information

The Optimist Club of Van Wert is gearing up again for the 2021 Avenue of Flags program. Each year, the group places American flags around town during five summer and fall holidays. This year, the club plans on displaying about 400 large flags in front of homes and businesses. In addition to being a community patriotic activity, this is the group’s largest annual fundraising activity.  

For $50 a year, the club will deliver and place a flag before each holiday and retrieve it after the holiday. The Optimist Club of Van Wert is responsible for placement of the flag and proper storage after the flags have been recovered. Those who want to display more than one flag will receive a $10 discount per flag.

Participants in the program receive a 3 by 5-foot, high-quality American flag on a 10-foot flagpole within 15 feet of the curb in front of a home or business on five national holidays: Memorial Day, Flag Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, and Veterans Day. 

Club members will install the flags a few days before the holiday and remove them a few days after each holiday.

Optimists are also looking for help from community members, churches, civic groups, etc., to get all the flags out before each holiday or picked up a few days after. Typically, a shift takes 1-2 hours and the timing of the shift is flexible. Optimists are looking for individuals who could help, even with just one or two shifts per summer, with the service project.

Those who want to help can call the Edward Jones office of Trevor Webster at 419.232.2057. Their names will be added to a list and they will be contacted to attend a short informational meeting in May. Also, those who would like to order a flag or request information can call the same number.