‘Avenue of Flags’ spreads pride in Corridor

The stars and stripes are aligned on major national holidays in several area communities, due to a subscription program called Avenue of the Flags.

Members of service organizations erect the flags in front of homes five times a year: Memorial Day, Flag Day, the Fourth of July, Labor Day and Veterans Day.

This year is the fifth that the Optimist Club has offered the service to North Liberty residents. Subscriptions cost $40 annually and the money goes to youth groups in the area.

Darlene Smith, an Optimist Club board member, said 16 crews of volunteers pick up the flags each holiday and distribute them. The crews include members of the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and church groups.

When the club began the service five years ago, 47 households took part. But Smith said as of the Fourth of July, there were 483 participating homes in North Liberty.

'Everybody seems to love that it's American pride,” Smith said. 'It's really cool to see the flags flying in order.”

In Cedar Rapids, members of the Optimist Club also offer Avenue of the Flags subscriptions for $40. The money raised also benefits youth groups in the community.

In the past, money has gone to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Cedar Rapids, a community garden at Roosevelt Middle School, Junior Achievement and other youth organizations, according to Optimist Club member Jim Burrows.

'A lot of people just love it, they don't have to own a flag,” Burrows said.

In West Branch, annual subscriptions are $35. Money benefits the Lions Club, which then distributes it to local organizations, said Andy Corr, secretary of the West Branch Lions Club.

The West Branch Lions Club operates seven routes in the community. Flags are put up by Lions Club members. In the past, money has been used to purchase new jerseys for a local athletic team among other causes, Corr said.

'Some of the people tell us how impressed they are when they drive through and there's a small community ... and there are a lot of flags,” Corr said. 'It's pretty impressive.”