Flapping above the leafy, green treetops of Glenville is an enormous new representation of the red, white and blue.
The 30-by-60-foot American flag flies a dizzying 100 feet atop a pole outside of Trustco Bank’s administrative offices on Sarnowski Drive.
Plans for the flag have been in the works for months. It was finally hoisted about a week ago.
“There was a discussion about whether we would have to put a flashing beacon on it to alert planes, but we were told we did not need to do that,” said Trustco Bank’s treasurer, Kevin Timmons.
Trustco decided to make such a grand statement of patriotism for several reasons.
“The bank is proud to be a part of this country, despite its problems. It has enabled a lot of people to really better their lives through hard work, and that’s important to us,” Timmons said.
The flag is also a visible sign of the bank’s support of veterans’ causes.
“Where we’re located is kind of on the flight path for the Air National Guard base here, so we have the planes flying overhead on their takeoffs and landings pretty much all the time, and it struck us that those guys coming back from a deployment, seeing this big flag waving pretty close to their landing zone, would probably be a pretty nice welcome back,” he said.
Timmons wouldn’t reveal the cost of the flag, which was purchased from the Gettysburg Flag Works in East Greenbush, but did say it was much less expensive than he thought it would be.
Initially the flag flew at half-staff to honor the victims of the recent shooting in Aurora, Colo., but now that it’s been hoisted to its full height it’s attracting plenty of attention. Sue VanWormer, a salesperson at Checkerhills Farm Pet and Animal Food Warehouse on Freemans Bridge Road, noticed the flag on her way to work last Sunday morning.
“It is sharp. I couldn’t believe how big it was. I’ve never seen a flag that big,” she said.
Bike World USA has a front row seat for flag-viewing. The pole sits across the street from the company’s Sarnowski Drive storefront.
“Not only is it a great landmark for them, it’s a good landmark for us, so people can find us,” said customer representative Shawn Natole.
Steve Jackson, manager of Freeman’s Bridge Wine and Liquor, said the flag is certainly hard to miss.
“I think it’s pretty cool,” he said.
The super-sized version of Old Glory has also caught the attention of the staff at Freemans Bridge Sports.
“I think it looks good,” said owner Dick Himmelwright. “It’s nice to see the flag.”
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