Town of Palm Beach News

Flags for Heroes Event Proposed

The Royal Poinciana Way medium in the town of Palm Beach may be covered in hundreds of American flags for Veterans Day weekend later this year, as first reported by the Palm Beach Daily News.

The Rotary Club of Palm Bech and Main Street Business Association are seeking a permit to hold a Flags for Heroes event on Nov. 9-11. The matter will be before the Town Council at today’s meeting, which begins at 9:30 a.m.

Richard P. Zaretsky, president of the Rotary Club of Palm Beach described Flags for Heroes as a visually moving experience that allows people to honor the heroes in their lives: veterans, medical responders, parents, teachers, or others.

Participants purchase medallions online in advance, listing their name and the name of the person they are honoring. These medallions are attached to a flag throughout the three-day event.

The money raised would go into a scholarship fund for children of town employees, Zaretsky said. Children of police officers are not eligible for scholarships from this fund as there is already a scholarship program though the Palm Beach Police Foundation. 

Flags for Heroes Event Proposed

The number of flags would depend on the number of medallion orders, but there is room for more than 800 in the median. The flags would be arranged in a grid pattern and displayed on poles of either 7 or 10 feet, he said. The flags themselves would be 5 feet by 3 feet.

The Palm Beach chapter of the Rotary Club was established in 1953, but the Main Street Business Association formed just this January to replace the defunct Royal Poinciana Association to represent merchants in the business district.

“To have an event that brings attention to the contributions of our servicemen and women is very important,” said Franny Frisbie, the association’s president. “They serve this great country and keep us safe both at home and abroad.”

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The applicants originally wanted to stage the event on Memorial Day weekend or July 4 weekend, but those dates didn’t work out. 

They pitched the event at the Jan. 8 council meeting but concerns were raised. According to Town Manager Kirk Blouin, these concerns included parking management, protecting the town irrigation system in the median, liability insurance, and more.

The applications had to meet with town staff to attempt to work out details to the council’s satisfaction, and Tuesday’s meeting should indicate whether they had success. 

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Alanna Barrett

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