When most people think of small-town America, a Norman
Rockwell-esque landscape with flags flying throughout a charming
downtown comes to mind. Unfortunately, that vision is nowhere near
reality in downtown Gilroy.
When most people think of small-town America, a Norman Rockwell-esque landscape with flags flying throughout a charming downtown comes to mind. Unfortunately, that vision is nowhere near reality in downtown Gilroy.
Flag Day is just behind us, and as we approach the Fourth of July, the lack of flags fluttering in the summertime breeze in downtown Gilroy becomes harder to overlook. Downtown Morgan Hill has been bedecked in red, white and blue since Memorial Day, but in this most patriotic of seasons, Gilroy’s downtown is bereft of massive displays of Old Glory.
Linda Ashford, co-owner of Ashford Heirlooms, wonders why that is.
“I was just back East in a little town of 250 people,” Ashford told reporter Christine Tognetti. “This place had flags at every streetlight in town. If a community that small can come up with a way to get it done, I don’t see why we can’t.”
One problem is that the old flags have fallen apart – and they had a big mistake: only 48 stars. It’s been a decade since those flags flew in downtown Gilroy, and no one has organized an effort to buy replacements.
That needs to change.
In Morgan Hill, the Downtown Merchants Association and Kiwanis have adopted the downtown flags as a community service project. Volunteers take care of displaying, removing and storing the flags that fly from light posts up and down Monterey Street in Morgan Hill.
We like the idea of flags flying from light posts and urge the City of Gilroy to make sure as the block-by-block streetscape improvements are made to downtown Gilroy, that light posts include flagpoles.
We’re glad to hear that Christy Bracco of the Exchange Club has volunteered to help with the project. Displaying the Stars and Stripes fits right in with the organization’s focus on Americanism, youth and community service.
That’s why The Dispatch is putting its money where its mouth, er, editorial opinion is. We’re pledging to buy the first four flags for downtown – and at approximately $30 a pop for Old Glory, that’s a pledge we’re challenging other businesses, service clubs and individuals to meet or exceed.
The Gilroy Visitors Bureau, the Chamber of Commerce and the Downtown Development Corporation will meet on the first Wednesday of July – we urge them to take the Exchange Club up on its offer and get started on flying the American flag in downtown Gilroy.
Gilroy’s showcase event, the Garlic Festival, is fast approaching. If we all work together, we can have flags flying in downtown Gilroy in time for the thousands of visitors who will swarm Garlic City the last weekend in July.
Displaying the Stars and Stripes in downtown Gilroy is not a tall order – and as a community, we should be embarrassed that it’s taken us a decade to replace the old flags.
Gilroy is filled with patriotic spirit. Let’s work together to make sure our city’s heart and soul – downtown – shows it with brand-new flags bearing 50 stars. Let’s get Old Glory waving again in downtown Gilroy.
