Members of the Fire Department hung the new flag on Tuesday night. — Thomas Nash photo
Big, new and red, white and blue.
A new 20-by-30 foot American flag hung in front of Town Hall this Veterans Day, a gift to the town from its veterans.
Ridgefield’s American Legion post donated a giant new flag to replace the big flag which had been hanging during patriotic holidays and had started to show some tears.
“The flag that has been hung in front of the Town Hall has become weather worn and in disrepair,” American Legion Post Commander George Besse said. “The American Legion has purchased a new and better flag that we’re giving to the town.”
He said Legion post members were happy to make the gift.
“The townspeople have been generous when the Legion is out selling poppies before Memorial Day and it is a way us to show our appreciation,” Besse said. “We wanted it on display for Veterans Day.”
The new flag was put up Monday, and there was a brief ceremony in front of town hall for the acceptance of the gift on Tuesday.
Veterans Day ceremonies Wednesday morning were at the Community Center’s Lounsbury house, as is traditional.
The big new flag cost about $1,000.
In addition to Veterans Day, the big flag usually hangs in front of town hall for a month every year, from just before Memorial Day, through Flag Day, until after the Fourth of July.
Fire Chief Kevin Tappe, passing through town hall Tuesday, said it had been becoming apparent a new flag was needed.
“The one they just replaced ripped this past year,” he said.
“The old flag is about six or seven years old. It’s not up that long,” Chief Tappe said. “It’s only up a short time, but the wind and the rain wreaked havoc on it.”
Tappe also noted that one of the previous flags — it might have been two flags back — seemed to have been damaged as a result of rubbing on the carved eagle above the town hall door.
“Too close to the building,” he said.
The volunteer firefighters who hang the flag had moved the wires out a little farther to correct the problem.
Tappe noted that Tree Warden John Pinchbeck had said a couple of years ago the two big trees on either side of town hall’s entrance — the trees the flag hangs from — were showing signs of disease and would need to be replaced.
“These two trees are slated to come down,” Tappe said. “If you take the trees down, then what do you do?”
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