SOLON — The Solon Optimist Club has been conducting their Avenue of Flags program for 12 years, and on Independence Day, 256 flags were placed in front of subscribers’ homes. Optimists, Solon Centennial Lions Club members, Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts with Troop 120, and other volunteers gathered at the Solon Feed Mill (where the Optimists store their flags) as the sun began rising. At sunset, many of those same people went back out and removed the flags.
“A lot of the Optimist Clubs around Iowa do it, it’s a great fundraiser, but obviously it takes a lot of labor,” said Terry Krob with the Optimists. “We do pretty good on being able to raise funds for projects and activities, and donations we do.” Avenue of Flags, in addition to being a patriotic effort, is also the club’s largest fundraiser of the year. “We started with the idea of being able to raise significant funds so we were able to donate a lot more. Once we did this, it is probably three times the size of any of our other fundraisers.”
“100% of our funds raised go back into the community,” Optimist Club member Marv Stastny pointed out. “Our dues take care of our (club) needs.”
The flags are put out, dawn to dusk, on Memorial Day, Flag Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, and Veterans Day at subscribers’ homes. For $40 annually a receptacle is placed in the subscriber’s yard (after checking with Iowa One Call to avoid hitting any underground utilities) with an orange cap covering it, which makes it easier for the volunteers to locate it and place the flag. A subscription form is available on the Optimists’ website, https://solonoptimist.000webhostapp.com.
“We will take partial years (the amount is prorated), but our goal is to get the whole year, and sign up before May. Basically $8 per day for five days. We put them in, we own the flag, and we take them back out.” It takes all involved about an hour to load the flags and place them, Krob said.
John Farlinger, a past-president of the Lions Club and current City Councilman, said the Lions have been helping the Optimists for five years. “They’re gracious enough to give us one of their (eight total) routes, and we receive a portion of the proceeds, which we use to benefit the community where it’s needed.”
The Optimists were looking for some help, Farlinger said, “And where there’s a need, there’s a Lion. We just try to be there to serve the community. One of our mottos is, ‘We Serve.’ The flags look really amazing when you go up and down the street. We’re doing something to honor those who made it so we can do this, so that we can have our freedoms.”
Krob said the Optimists welcome more subscribers to the program.
“I was in a town yesterday and they started (Avenue of Flags) three years ago, and they’ve already got 700 (subscribers). We’ve been doing it for 12 years and we have 250-260.
Larry Brecht loads flags into the back of a pickup truck as the sun rises in the background Monday, July 4. Solon Optimists, Lions, Scouts, and volunteers put out 256 flags for the Optimists’ Avenue of Flags program.