The Flags after being raised by the Scouts on Memorial Day On all Federal Holidays, and on other special occasions, American Flags can be seen along 7th Street standing tall and waving in the wind. It is always a fine sight to see, and always brightens up the day. But where do the flags come from, and who puts them there? That is a story fifty years in the making.

In 1960 the Garden City Chamber of Commerce initiated the Flag Program. Contributions were collected from member merchants throughout the business area to purchase 98 flags and flagpoles. The Village Department of Public Works installed holes in the sidewalk with caps, for the placement of the flags. Boy Scout Troops 55 and 56 were enlisted to retrieve the flags from a storage area on at least 5 designated holidays and put them up at sunrise and them down at sunset. Troop 55 originally took care of the flags on Franklin Avenue, and Troop 56 on Seventh Street.

The Flags before being raised by Troop 56 Scouts on Martin Luther King Day Over the years the community has continued to keep the program going strong. For example, in 1978 Troop 55 undertook to clean out the sockets, on Franklin Avenue, which tend to get filled with dirt and debris making the flagpoles less stable. At that time they found that a majority of the sockets had been ripped out during the Franklin Avenue Restoration Project. Later when Franklin Avenue was refurbished and widened it was determined to be too busy for the scouts to place the flags. The sockets on Franklin Avenue were eliminated, and thus the flag program was limited to Seventh Avenue. In recent years the Village has provided new tools for the removing and tightening of the sockets covers, and has agreed to replace some missing covers and clean out accumulated debris in the sockets.

The flags themselves have necessarily been replaced or refurbished a number of times. In 1978 Boy Scout Neal Ziring of Troop 56 undertook refurbishment of the flags as part of his Eagle Project. In 1987, after the “beautification” of Seventh Street, twice the number of flags as before were needed, resulting in a drive to collect funds to pay for new flags, and Ken Smith of Troop 56 refurbished salvageable flags and flagpoles as part of his Eagle Project. Following September 11, 2001 the flags were flown for an extended period which led to the condition of the flags to deteriorate, and a need for a fundraising drive to purchase new flags in 2002.

There are now four Boy Scout Troops that alternate the raising and lowering of the flags. They are Troops 55, 56, 80 and 243. While The Flag Program is celebrating its 50th year, Boy Scouts in America is celebrating its 100th year.

The flag schedule is set by Frank Nedelka of the American Legion’s William Bradford Turner Post 265. The Post has also donated funds over the years towards the upkeep of the flags. In 2002, when the drive to purchase new flags was taking place, Past Commander Chris Winters noted that “The massed display of American Flags on Seventh Street is a marvelous sight that gladdens the heart and spirit. It is a reminder of the blood, sweat and tears our country’s men and women have shed so that these flags might fly freely.”

The flags have been stored by various merchants over the pat 50 years. Ruth Krist, the owner of Hoffman’s Deli in 1960, and one of the original initiators of the program as Chamber Director at that time recalls opening the deli at 6 a.m. to “fuel up” the boy scouts with hot chocolate and cookies. For a time a time Harvey Brillat, owner of Garden City Printers and Mailers took on the role of “keeper of the flags.” Currently, the flags are stored at Garden City’s Bagelman, owned by Ken Mataix. Ken has also created and donated a storage rack, and has refurbished (and ironed) some of the flags in recent years.

So over the years many persons and organizations have taken part and been responsible for keeping the flag program alive. All who have participated should be proud of their contributions.