By VERNON ROBISON
The Progress
Another morning in downtown Overton and the ‘Flags Up’ volunteers are making their daily run to check on the 200 flags posted all along Moapa Valley Blvd. Pictured l to r are Jack Johnson, Oscar Henderson and Clifford Peterson. PHOTO BY VERNON ROBISON/The Progress.
It has been nearly a year now since a trio of local men began serving the Moapa Valley and bringing year-round patriotic cheer to the hearts of travellers along State Highway 169.
Local residents Clifford Peterson, Oscar Henderson and Jack Johnson have called their daily volunteer efforts “Flags Up.” That is because they are the ones who have been posting, maintaining, caring for and replacing all of the American Flags posted on street poles up and down Moapa Valley Blvd from the north end of Logandale to the south end of Overton.
It is a significant task caring for the 200 flags which proudly wave through town. Nearly every morning at 6 am finds these men patrolling the community checking on the flags and keeping them in good repair.
The three men took on this responsibility in July of 2020. The local veteran’s organizations, who had made a tradition of posting the flags on major holidays, were unable to continue doing it. So these three decided to step in and fill the gap.
“We first noticed that the flags weren’t up for Memorial Day last year,” said Peterson in an interview with The Progress. “We really missed them being there. Then as it got closer to July 4th we realized they weren’t going up again. So we found out who had them and we put what they had up for the Fourth.”
Many of the flags were in disrepair. So the men went ahead and replaced the most ragged of them with new flags.
“We created a schedule with about 40 flag-flying days throughout the year to post the flags,” Peterson said. “We would put them up and take them down on each one.”
Then last October, the men looked at the calendar and realized that there was a whole series of about a six or seven holidays coming up in a very brief period of time. So they just decided to leave them up during that time.
“We got really good feedback from people in the community about that,” Peterson said. “A lot of people said that they’d like to just see them flying all year long. So we decided to go ahead and do that.”
Of course, that didn’t lessen the need for their ongoing volunteer efforts. The flags need almost daily oversight to keep them in good repair. The men can be found every morning at 6 am patrolling the community to make sure the flags are displayed respectfully.
Keeping up with the maintenance of nearly 200 flags flying year round in the sun and wind of the southern Nevada climate takes a significant investment. The group spends around $600 per year for replacement flags.
Up to now, that money has always been donated by generous community members who want to see the flags keep flying. Peterson said that additional donations are always needed and appreciated to help with those constantly revolving expenses.
Those who wish to donate to the flag upkeep and maintenance fund can contact Peterson at 702-403-7496 or by email at midgett7261979@gmail.com. Alternatively, donations can be made at any time by depositing directly to a special flag fund account set up at America First Credit Union account number 40698540.
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