‘Put Your Flags Out’ On A New Scale at Ohio Community
The patriotic rally cry to “put your flags out” is captivating in any climate, but particularly during periods of strife or national crisis. Pikewood Manor Community Manager Shawn Hopkins got to thinking about what type of flag might fit the COVID crisis.
A “BIG ONE” turned out to be the answer.
“We had just put some big flags out, but we have a big yard over there, so I thought we could put another really big flag out there,” Hopkins said.
Hopkins and five volunteers from the community and the nearby Avon Ford plant in Elyria, Ohio, laid out 6,800 square feet of plywood and painted an American flag that faces Route 57 and the I-80 turnpike.
‘Each American a Soldier’
It’s a salute to all passersby, each American a soldier in the fight against coronavirus.
“I wanted to do it in this pandemic, and we have veterans here,” Hopkins said. “That’s the reason behind the music on the video we made, because this is like a war. Everyone feels that.”
More than $7,800 worth of supplies for the giant American Flag at Pikewood Manor came from donations provided by Loews, Carter Lumber, R.E. Michel, and Abraham Miller Excavating. Hopkins and UMH Properties Assistant Vice Presidents of Sales Bob VanSchuver finished the project with their own contributions.
Lance and Nick Dlugosz, Jason Layne, Tony Schuster, and Harry Hatten joined Hopkins in the field.
“We had six people out there,” Hopkins said. “We could have had a lot more people. There were plenty willing to help but we’re doing this for COVID, you can’t really have too many people out there.”
“But this is right on Route 57 and the turnpike, so it’s a very well-traveled route, and a lot of people are seeing it,” he said. “The feedback from residents was phenomenal. They’ve shared it, and they’ve said mostly they’re very proud to live here. In the first two hours, we had 2,000 views of the video.”
