Downtown Poised for Patriotic Makeover

Main Street will be getting a patriotic makeover in the near future, thanks to the town government and a downtown businesswoman.

An initiative led by Town Administrator Chris Schlehr and Public Relations Officer Jim Welch will provide 16 downtown establishments with custom-made American flags that will be displayed on the sidewalk during special occasions.

The idea was formulated by Schlehr, and Mary Streett, who owns Boyd & Fulford Drugs. Streett used to fly a flag outside her drugstore and her original banner, which still waves outside of her home, will be the model for the other flags.

"All the business people on Main Street bought their own flags [30 years go]. We had to buy two because our store is so wide. Every time there was a parade or a holiday, everybody put the flags out," Streett said.

Eventually, though, the number of flags dwindled and the tradition was lost.

Welch said that if the first 16 flags in the $830 initiative become popular, the town will provide additional ones to other businesses.

"We're literally making these things as we go from scratch," Welch said.

The wooden poles and finials were ordered from Kefauver Lumber Co. in Forest Hill, while the aluminum sleeves that will protect the joint of the two-part wooden pole was made by a Baltimore firm.

The American flags, which will have the stars and stripes stitched on, were purchased from F.W. Haxel Co. in Havre de Grace.

Small holes have long been drilled into the sidewalk and bricks along Main Street between Court Street and Pennsylvania Avenue for the establishments that will be responsible for the first set of flags.

Part of the reason the flags are being custom-built is so that they will fit into the slots.

"It seemed to require a custom fit. If we have to store them, we wanted to be able to break them down," Schlehr said.

The Town Administrator said that he has been anticipating the completion of this project for some time.

Added Streett: "This job has been … almost three years [in the works]. ... I will be very happy when I see the flags flying."

From the first time they are installed, which is expected to happen within days, the flags will be used for about a week, Schlehr said. After that, they will be displayed on special occasions such as parades and holidays.

Welch said that the wooden poles give the flags a more authentic look than if they were made completely of aluminum.

"While it's patriotic, [it's] also nostalgic," Welch said.

The finials and poles, which will stand at a 90-degree angle to the ground, have been weatherproofed.

The total cost of each flag is estimated at $51.85, and will be paid for by the town.