Belmont hangs flags celebrating US, town

BELMONT — Many months ago, the Belmont Heritage Commission began a Main Street project to replace tattered weathered worn-out banners with new decorative ones. Some of the new banners now include titles such as “We Appreciate First Responders”, “Support Belmont Businesses, “and Celebrate Community.” Inside the Belmont Village area new banners now depict titles stating important years; “Belmont since 1869,” “Bandstand 1908”, and the heart of the community the “Belmont Mill since 1830s.” 

The nine commission members headed by Chair Vicki Donovan and Vice- Chair Claire Bickford also discussed having American Flags flying from the South End of Main Street to Church Street ending at Memorial Park. Each Memorial Day at the Memorial Park Monument the American Legion Charles Kilborn Post No. 58 host a parade and ceremony paying homage to Belmont’s own who died for the country.

The commission thought it would be most fitting to have U.S. flags hanging along the parade route. Heritage member Jack Donovan contacted Legion Members Woody Fogg and Ron Mitchell for their input to install flags along the parade route.  The Legion then offered to pay for 12 U.S. Flags and the hardware to hang them on telephone poles.  Many steps and contacts had to happen in order to obtain permission for the flags to be hung on the utility poles. 

Town Administrator Alicia Jipson, who contacted Eversource Belmont, was eventually granted permission under strict guidelines to fly United States flags on patriotic days and during Belmont’s Old Home Day. One final step was contacting Belmont Public Works Director Craig Clairmont and his crew to put up the hardware and finally to see if they would put up and take down the flags during the stated holidays and Old Home Day.  

For more information, visit belmontnh.org/Pages/Index/50709/heritage-commission.